Meals on Wheels plans fundraiser, push for volunteers
The Burnet County Commissioners Court issued a proclamation establishing this month as March for Meals to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Meals on Wheels program. At the March 8 signing in the Burnet County Courthouse were (front row, from left) Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Luther, Meals on Wheels board member Fernando Albornoz, Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle, Meals on Wheels board Chair Kelly Dix, Burnet County Meals on Wheels Director Sunny Hall and Program Director Carrie Berry, Precinct 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery, (back, left) County Judge James Oakley, and Precinct 3 Commissioner Billy Wall. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
Meals on Wheels celebrates its 50th anniversary in March, which was recognized by resolutions during the March 8 meetings of the Burnet County Commissioners Court and the Granite Shoals City Council.
“This year, our program is asking for community members to pay for meals or to sign up as a volunteer delivery driver,” said Emily Hayes in a statement.
Hayes works for Opportunities for Williamson & Burnet Counties, which includes Meals on Wheels among its programs.
Target dates for the fundraising and recruiting drive are March 21-25. To donate, visit owbc-tx.org and select March for Meals from the Donate dropdown menu. Donations can be made at anytime via the website.
Meals on Wheels is also holding a Sip and Shop fundraiser in Marble Falls on Saturday, April 23, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Lakeside Pavilion in Lakeside Park, 307 Buena Vista Drive. Tickets are $50 each or $350 for a table of eight and include a luncheon, wine and beer tastings, access to popup boutique shopping, and an exclusive fashion show from local boutiques.
The March for Meals donation and volunteer drive honors the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, federal legislation that helps fund community-based programs such as Meals on Wheels. In March 1972, President Richard Nixon signed an amendment to the Older Americans Act of 1965 that included a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older.
The Older Americans Act Nutrition Program is still the only federal program designed to specifically meet the nutritional and social needs of older adults.
The Opportunities for Williamson & Burnet Counties Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to seniors in the two counties five days a week, 52 weeks a year. In Burnet County, the program serves about 200 meals a day.
“These are people who are, a lot of times, very lonely,” Meals on Wheels board member Fernando Albornoz said at the Burnet County Commissioners Court meeting. “They need food, and the food is great — the nourishment, the nutrition — but it’s the spiritual nourishment they get. They took forward to those visits, and it makes their day.”