March Is Meals On Wheels Celebration

Meals On Wheels East Texas Joins In Month-Long March For Meals Celebration With Communities Nationwide

Support will help fight senior hunger and isolation in East Texas.

Meals on Wheels East Texas announced today that it will be participating in the 17th annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and our senior neighbors who rely on the vital service to remain healthy and independent at home.

”The services we provide are a lifeline for seniors of East Texas, and the need is rapidly increasing,” said Kari Kietzer, Chairman and CEO Meals on Wheels East Texas. “Together, we can keep our senior neighbor’s well-nourished, feeling safer and more connected to our community as they age.”

Meals on Wheels East Texas serves daily meals to over 3,300 home-bound senior citizens and disabled persons; covering six counties in East Texas including Gregg, Henderson, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. These meals are prepared fresh in their central kitchen in Tyler, TX. Meals are then delivered by compassionate volunteers to eligible persons who cannot provide meals for themselves. Often this is the only meal, safety check, and friendly visit clients will have each day.

The annual March for Meals celebration commemorated 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, community-based 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 month of March is a fitting time to not only celebrate the successful history of Meals on Wheels but also bring us together to support a solution that will strengthen communities into the future,” said Ellie Hollander, President, and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “With 12,000 Americans turning 60 each day, now is the time to invest in these vital programs so that we can provide every senior in need with the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that will enable them to live healthier and independent in their own homes.”

For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute or speak out for the seniors in East Texas this March, visit www.mealsonwheelsetx.org

Mandi Lovett
Marketing and Event Coordinator
Meals on Wheels Ministry, Inc.
3001 Robertson Road
Tyler, TX 75701
O: 903.593-7385