Joins In MONTH-LONG March for Meals
The Senior Connection will be participating in the 23rd Annual March for Meals — a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and our senior neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home.
“We served nearly 16,000 meals through Meals on Wheels in 2023, and over 25,000 meals total to older adults in our community. This is possible thanks to our incredible team of volunteers and donors,” said Jovita Piña, executive director. “We are honored to work alongside such dedicated individuals who take the time to deliver daily meals to Blaine County seniors.” With the rising cost of food, now more than ever, the Senior Connection needs support to continue delivering quality, nutritious meals throughout the Wood River Valley.
The annual March for Meals celebration commemorates the historic 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 successful public-private partnership and garner the support needed to fill the gap between the seniors served and those still in need.
The Senior Connection is halfway toward their ultimate goal of $50,000 for the month of March. “These funds are critical in ensuring we can deliver meals to our seniors all year long,” says Piña.
Longtime volunteer and March for Meals community champion Leslie Silva says, “While providing nutritious meals is essential, the social interaction it facilitates is equally vital for our senior community. Delivering the delicious “made-with-love” meals brings me immense satisfaction, but the true joy lies in the heartfelt conversations I share with the seniors along the route. My heart overflows with happiness after spending time with them. Every time I enter the doors of the Senior Connection, I am filled with gratitude for all they provide in our community. Please join me in supporting this life-sustaining service.”
Marie’s Kitchen with Eye on Sun Valley filmed a special cooking show with Senior Connection Chef, Sky Barker, highlighting the importance of quality nutrition and the delicious meals that are going out of the Senior Connection kitchen on a daily basis.
“This annual celebration comes at a time when eight out of 10 local Meals on Wheels programs are still delivering meals to more older adults than they were prior to the pandemic, and operational and food costs are soaring due to historic inflation,” says Meals on Wheels America. “The network expects the demand is here to stay as COVID-19’s impact on older adults goes beyond a higher risk for serious infection: it also includes limited access to care leading to a decline in overall health and wellbeing, as well as considerable social and economic hardships. All of which leaves an already vulnerable population even more in need of the safety net that Meals on Wheels delivers.”
