Kansas’ First Family Helps Deliver Meals on Wheels Thursday TOPEKA – In honor of March for Meals Month, Governor Sam Brownback and his family helped other volunteers at Topeka’s Meals on Wheels location deliver meals Thursday as part of the Older American Act Senior Nutrition Program to raise awareness about senior hunger. “I would like to thank Governor Brownback for helping us to highlight how important it is for Meals On Wheels to continue providing homebound seniors with nutritious food and human contact,” Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Secretary Shawn Sullivan said. Founded in 1972, Meals on Wheels of Shawnee and Jefferson Counties, Inc., began its contract with the Jayhawk Are Agency on Aging KDADS in 1991 and has grown from 14 routes in 1991 to 57 city and 11 rural routes today. The Meals on Wheels home-delivered program offers an important element in the ability of seniors and disabled individuals to live independently by providing a hot meal each weekday. The meals, in addition to the daily contact with the program’s volunteers, allow independence among Kansas’ homebound population. Volunteers are also trained to provide a safety check by reporting any changes they may observe during visit, such as individuals who do not answer their door or health or environment changes they may notice. In 2013 in Kansas alone, more than 3 million meals were served to senior individuals and groups. Although reports circulated late last year that federal funding for the program was being cut as a result of the federal sequester, KDADS wants to reassure Kansans that funding for the Meals On Wheels nutrition program was restored and the meals program was never interrupted or curtailed. Meals on Wheels is always looking for volunteers and delivery drivers. To learn more about how you can help, visit their website at mowks.org/. The month of March mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities and build the support that will sustain them all year long. Meals on Wheels programs collectively serve a nutritious meal, a warm smile and the safety check that keep over two and a half million seniors a year healthy and living in their own homes. This effort is the product of a dynamic and effective partnership between a national network of local Meals on Wheels programs and the businesses, organizations, governments and volunteers who give so generously in their communities. Help us shore up the resources needed to make 2014 a year we can all be proud of. The 12th annual March for Meals campaign is an effort led by the Meals On Wheels Association of America and presents an opportunity for all of us to support our senior neighbors through a variety of efforts that make our communities stronger and our neighbors healthier. So choose what’s right for you. And, in doing so, know that your contribution will make a difference to, and touch the hearts of, many courageous aging Americans. It takes a village, and Meals on Wheels is made possible by rallying and mobilizing a wide range of support. So, whether you want to join our army of over two million volunteers, hold a fundraising event so others can give, speak out and take a stance, or donate money, just choose the option thats right for you. Please call our local office at (785) 295-3980 for more information or visit the Meals on Wheels Association of America at mowaa.org/marchformeals-advocacy. Photos: Governor Sam Brownback and his wife, Mary Brownback, loading the meals they delivered.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 20:49:48 +0000
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