Three Local Mayors Deliver Lunches In Support of Meals on Wheel’s March for Meals

Annual Event Brings Attention to Senior Hunger and Local Need for Meals on Wheels Volunteers

     Three local Palm Beach County mayors joined with Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches for March for Meals, an annual national event designed to bring attention to the problem of senior hunger in America.
     Palm Beach County Mayor Shelley Vana, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio and Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo each spent a few hours in March delivering meals to homebound Meals on Wheels clients in central Palm Beach County.
     For the mayors, March for Meals was an opportunity to learn more about the local Meals on Wheels program, whose volunteers now make more than 500 home visits a week. It was also a chance for them to get to know a few seniors who depend on the program for a nutritious noontime meal up to five days a week.
     “We brought them lunch and they brought us inspiration,” said Vana, who praised the work done by Meals on Wheels volunteers. “If everyone did something like this, we would have a more cohesive community.”
     Now in its 13th year, March for Meals is a national celebration led by Meals on Wheels America that mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities to build the support that will sustain them all year long.
     This is the third year that Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches has participated in the program, with both Muoio and Triolo having participated in the past.
     “We’re extremely grateful to our three local mayors for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet a few of our clients and to see first hand the need for programs like Meals on Wheels in our community,” said Executive Director Charlie Ring. “Both our clients and the mayors really enjoyed the opportunity to get to meet one another.”
     Through their visits, the mayors had an opportunity to learn about Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches’ continuing need for volunteers to make deliveries and to help prepare meals. The mayor also learned that the organization does not receive government funding and is dependant on community support.
     “We’re always looking for additional volunteers but our need is especially great this time of year when many of our seasonal volunteers have returned to their homes up north,” Ring said.
     To find out more about volunteer opportunities, visit the Meals on Wheels website or call 561-802-6979.