Meals on Wheels CLOSED on January 5, 2018

MEALS ON WHEELS OF STARK & WAYNE COUNTIES WILL BE CLOSED FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018

Clients received ‘blizzard boxes’ in preparation for severe weather

(Massillon, OH): Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties will be closed Friday, January 5, 2018, due to the expected sub-zero temperatures. Meals will not be delivered this day.

“The well-being and health of our clients is very important to us, but with the extreme weather, the safety of our volunteers must be a top priority as well,” states Ted Watko, CEO for Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. “We took pro-active measures last fall to prepare for winter weather, and all clients received emergency ‘blizzard boxes’ to use in the event of an unexpected closure.”

Blizzard boxes are packs filled with enough non-perishable food to provide two meals. Meals on Wheels provided these to clients to use as back-up meals in the event of extreme weather conditions. Clients were instructed to save blizzard boxes for emergencies such as this closure.

Clients should utilize their ‘blizzard boxes’ for a meal on Friday, January 5th. Regular meal delivery is expected to resume on Monday, January 8, 2018.

In addition to overcoming the weather, Meals on Wheels also hopes to overcome its urgent volunteer need. With more than 1,500 meals being delivered each day, the agency must find volunteers to keep up with the growing number of clients in need. This is especially critical now, as many regular volunteers are South for the winter.

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. 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 17 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.