ALLEGANY COUNTY OFFICE FOR THE AGING JOINS IN MONTH-LONG MARCH FOR MEALS CELEBRATION WITH COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE

SUPPORT WILL HELP TO FIGHT SENIOR HUNGER AND ISOLATION IN ALLEGANY COUNTY AMID THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND.

Allegany County Office for the Aging announced today that it will be participating in the 19th annual March for Meals–a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and ours senior neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home, now  even more so amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Office for the Aging’s celebration will include various activities throughout the month of March, including the “March for Meals: Dollars for Seniors Donation campaign hosted by the Allegany Senior Foundation and the Shop and Save of Bolivar and Fillmore where they are inviting all members of the Allegany County Community to participate by supporting their month-long campaign, “March for Meals: Dollars for Seniors Donation.” 

Your donation of $1.00 at checkout will go directly to the Allegany County Senior Foundation in order to support the Meals on Wheels Program in the County. In doing so,you can connect with vulnerable seniors in our community and help the Allegany County Office for the Aging provide the needed assistance to our most vulnerable community members.The Office for the Aging is hosting a countywide recipe contest for the month of March.  

We are looking for  recipes in  the  categories  of  soup/salad,  main  dishes,  quick  breads, and  desserts. Recipe submissions will be accepted until March 31, 2021, at the Office for the Aging, 6085 State Route 19 N, Belmont, NY 14813.

A recipe winner will be chosen by the members of the Senior Advisory Council in each of the categories, and the winner will be announced in the next Office for the Aging’s Silver Lining Newsletter.    A non-monetary  prize  will  be  presented  to each winner  of  the  recipe  contest, and  the winning recipes will be placed on the Office for the Aging’s Meals on Wheels monthly menu.  

All recipes submitted for this contest will be compiled to create an Allegany County Office for the Aging cookbook that will be available by the end of the year. “In the last year, we have experienced a 30 percent increase in the demand for our services in Allegany County,”  said Anita  Mattison, Director of the  Office  for  the  Aging.  “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 through this challenging time and beyond.”

The number of meals has been exacerbated during COVID 19 and has thrust nutrition programs for seniors to the forefront. In 2019,the Allegany County Office for the Aging delivered 85,995 meals across the County to older adults,but in 2020,the number increased to 112,196 meals delivered.  

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, 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 pandemic has introduced many of us to the new found 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. 

Please join us in celebrating the power and importance of Meals on Wheels this March and always. ”For  more  information on how you  can  volunteer, contribute, or  speak out for  the  seniors  in Allegany County this March, contact our office at 585-268-9390 or toll free at 1-866-268-9390.