Meals on Wheels Chicago Joins in Special Month-Long MARCH FOR MEALS Celebration Commemorating the 5th Anniversary of The Older Americans Act Nutrition Program
Support will help to fight senior hunger and isolation in Chicago now and for the next 50 years.
[March 1, 2022] Meals on Wheels Chicago announced today that it will be participating in a special March for Meals celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program, the federal legislation that helps to fund community-based programs like Meals on Wheels. Throughout the month of March, Meals on Wheels Chicago will join the national Meals on Wheels network to raise awareness and rally support for this vital public-private partnership that has helped provide the seniors in Chicago with an essential service needed to remain healthy and independent at home.
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. This year, Meals on Wheels programs from across the country are joining forces for the awareness campaign to celebrate 50 years of success and garner the support needed to ensure these critical programs can continue to address food insecurity and malnutrition, combat social isolation, enable independence, and improve health for years to come.
“The Older Americans Act Nutrition Program is the only federally supported program designed to be an antidote for both senior hunger and isolation,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Despite decades of proven success and bipartisan support, funding for this program has failed to keep pace with the rapidly growing need for its services. With the nation’s senior population increasing dramatically, now is the time to support local Meals on Wheels programs – through volunteering, donating and speaking out – to ensure we are able to deliver for another 50 years.”
Meals on Wheels Chicago’s celebration features the annual March for Meals 5K. You can participate in this virtual 5K from anywhere in the world! Find a trail, park, treadmill, or track in your neighborhood and you’re all set! Register today!
