Meals on Wheels announces 2018 Community Champions!

Massillon, OH (March 15, 2018) – In honor of the 2018 March for Meals Community Champions Week, Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties announces this year’s participating Community Champions.

Throughout the week of March 19th-23rd, the following elected officials and prominent figures will be volunteering to deliver meals: Law Director Jennifer Arnold, Alliance; Mayor Tom Bernabei, Canton; Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton, Massillon Treasurer Jan Ferrero, Massillon; Representative Christina Hagan, Louisville; Mayor Dave Handwerk, Dalton; Sheriff Travis Hutchinson, Wooster; Chief Deputy Doug Johnson, Wooster; Chief Mike Lorentz, Uniontown; Sheriff George Maier, Louisville; Senator Scott Oelslager, Massillon; County Commissioner Richard Regula, Massillon; Treasurer Maude Slagle, Massillon; Christina Trompower, Representative of Congressman Renacci’s office, Massillon; and Victoria VanBuskirk, Representative of Congressman Gibbs’ office, Massillon;

Community Champions week is designed part of the annual, national Meals on Wheels America March for Meals campaign. March for Meals commemorates the historic day in March 1972 when President Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 and established a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older. Since 2002, 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.

“Our agency has seen an increase in more than 100 meals per day from this time last year, and we are working hard to find volunteer drivers to support the growing need for our services,” said Ted Watko, CEO of Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. “Community Champions’ participation this week helps Meals on Wheels promote community volunteerism and gain much-needed visibility for our cause.”

The agency is very excited to receive this rally of support in March, but it is also in urgent need of more permanent volunteers to keep up with the increasing demand for its services. Volunteers must be licensed drivers and have auto insurance coverage. Deliveries are made between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday and take approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The agency provides volunteers with training and mileage reimbursement.

Meals on Wheels welcomes those who would like to become regular drivers, or occasional substitute drivers. There is also an Adopt-A-Route program which allows companies to deliver in the community through an employee-rotation schedule.

For those individuals or businesses interested in volunteering at Meals on Wheels, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Anngi Klick, at 330-832-7220 or email: klick@mow-starkwayne.org.

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About Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties is a non-profit agency that provides nutritional support to homebound individuals of all ages. Services include delivery of hot meals, breakfast meals, sack suppers, frozen meals, chopped meals, pureed meals and liquid supplements (pending physician referral), Monday through Friday. The agency has 16 sites throughout Stark and Wayne Counties and depends on volunteers to fulfill its mission. To learn more about the agency’s services and programs, including how to become a volunteer, call 330-832-7220 or 1-800-466-8010, or visit www.mow-starkwayne.org.

About Meals on Wheels America

Meals on Wheels America is the oldest and largest national organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. This network exists in virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, research, education and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.