Meals on Wheels Diablo Region Joins Month- Long March for Meals

[Walnut Creek, CA] March 1, 2020 – Meals on Wheels Diablo Region announced today that it will be participating in the 19th annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and our senior neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home, now even more so amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the last year, we have experienced a 40% increase in the demand for our services in the community,” said MOW Diablo Region’s Executive Director, Caitlin Sly. “We have been in awe of the outpouring of support, and there’s still much we can do to ensure everyone in need of our vital lifeline can benefit from being well-nourished and more connected to our community through this challenging time and beyond.”

The pandemic illustrated how fragile the support system many seniors have, as “older” seniors depended on “younger” seniors, who are now sheltering-in-place, to go to the grocery store, run errands, or provide social interaction. Because of these increasing needs, MOW Diablo Region began a Grocery Bag Program in partnership with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. It piloted the Breakfast Bag Program to provide an additional meal each day, so that seniors are not forced to ration the one meal they receive, and it developed the Friendly Helper program to pick up prescriptions and run errands for seniors. “Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is the only MOW in the County that delivers both meals and wraparound services to vulnerable seniors. With the support of our community, we are able to ensure that seniors are nourished and safe at home,” says Sly.

The annual March for Meals celebration commemorates the historic day in March of 1972 when President Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older. Since 2002, community-based Meals on Wheels programs from across the country have joined forces for the annual awareness campaign to celebrate this successful public-private partnership and garner the support needed to fill the gap between the seniors served and those still in need.

“The pandemic has introduced many of us to the newfound and harsh realities of food insecurity and social isolation – something that far too many seniors experience as their daily norm. More than ever, we must rally around our essential community-based programs that serve as lifelines to a growing number of people in need, to enable their own long-term vitality,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Even when we make it through this unprecedented time in our nation's history, there will still be millions of vulnerable older adults who will rely on that familiar knock on the door that provides peace of mind and hope beyond the meal itself. Please join us in celebrating the power and importance of Meals on Wheels this March and always.”

MOW Diablo Region traditionally celebrates the month by inviting elected officials out on deliveries and holding other events to highlight its work. This year, the agency’s focus is dedicated to a month of service. Youth groups and volunteers from Chevron will be participating in activities that include cleaning client’s yards, sending homemade greeting cards with packets of wildflowers, donating succulents, and picking and donating oranges.

For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute or speak out for the seniors in the Diablo Region this March, visit www.mowdiabloregion.org .

About Meals on Wheels Diablo Region:

Our mission is to enhance the lives of older adults who have a full range of needs by providing coordinated care, enabling them to live independently and with dignity for as long as possible. Our programs include: Home Delivery Meals, Fall Prevention. Health and Wellness, Friendly Visitor/Friendly Callers, and Care Management. Learn more at www.mowdiabloregion.org .

Rachel Heggen

Community Relations and Development Specialist

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region

925.482.2624

Rheggen@mowdiabloregion.org