Meals on wheels of Salem County celebrates the 16th Annual march for meals ALONG with Meals on Wheels programs from across the country.
Meals on Wheels of Salem County (MoWSC) recently held a Champion Delivery Day with elected officials in honor of the 2018 March for Meals Community Champions Week. The event was originally to take place on March 22nd, but due to the various inclement conditions caused by the spring snow, was rescheduled for April 19th. During Champion Delivery Day Meals on Wheels programs across the country enlist elected officials, local celebrities and other prominent figures to deliver meals, speak out for seniors and raise awareness for the power of Meals on Wheels.
The day started at Ranch Hope in Alloway, NJ, where Ryan Harris and Alex Tate, both of Harris Plumbing, Heating, Air and Propane assisted alongside Chelsea Haines, Rowan University and Board Member MoWSC in meal assembly. Afterwards, at the MoWSC offices in Salem, Bob Woodruff Jr., President of Woodruff Energy and MoWSC volunteer explained to the group why he has chosen to support the Meals on Wheels of Salem County. Woodruff explained that, “delivering Meals on Wheels is one way we give back to the community that we live and work in, and doing it as a team makes it even more meaningful. It’s a good reminder that the world is much bigger than what we do here every day at Woodruff Energy.”
Elected officials (Salem County Freeholder R. Scott Griscom, Salem County Freeholder Ben Laury, Mayor of Mannington Twp. Don Asay, Mayor of Pennsville Richie Raine, and Deputy Mayor of Pennsville Robert McDade, along with Mark Edwards, President Franklin Bank and Gwynn Griscom) then joined volunteer drivers for each route to help with meal delivery.
The date may have changed, but the mission did not. Members of the community had the opportunity to prepare meals with our caterer Ranch Hope, which elected officials then assisted in delivering. Meals on Wheels of Salem County is extremely grateful to those who gave their time and helped raise awareness of our cause and the importance of the Meals on Wheels program.
The annual 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.
“This March, hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs will rally their communities to build the support that will enable them to deliver nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to America’s most at-risk seniors all year long,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “With the demand for Meals on Wheels increasing along with our country’s senior population, we need to ensure that seniors are not forgotten.”
