The Senior Connection will be participating in the 20th Annual March For Meals, a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meals on Wheels and the senior citizens who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home.
“We’ve experienced a 400% increase in the demand for our services in Blaine County since COVID struck our community,” said Teresa Beahen Lipman, The Senior Connection executive director. “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.”
The annual March for Meals celebration commemorates the 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, Meals on Wheels programs from across the country have joined forces for the annual awareness campaign to celebrate this 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.”
Hailey’s Grocery Outlet and Atkinsons’ Markets across the Valley have committed to supporting March for Meals and The Senior Connection’s Meals on Wheels program. For information on how to donate to The Senior Connection, ask at checkout or online at seniorconnectionidaho.org/donate.