Nonprofit to host event providing balanced meals to seniors
In an effort to raise money and awareness about senior hunger, the Caddo Council on Aging in partnership with Meals On Wheels will host their 10th annual March 4 Meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 7 at the Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport.
The CCOA with the help of more than 400 volunteers reaches more than 1,000 seniors every single day by providing them with balanced meals signed off by a certified nutritionist, social interaction through a simple knock on their door and aiding in maintaining their independence.
The Meals on Wheels volunteers can provide their seniors with a sense of comfort and enjoyment when they might otherwise be isolated and have even saved lives by discovering fallen or injured people.
Mary Alice Rountree, executive editor of the CCOA, said the No. 1 goal of their March 4 Meals event is to raise public awareness of this plight.
“This will be our 10th [event] and still our No. 1 purpose is to bring public awareness,” Rountree said. “We used to have a march, but last year we had it at Festival Plaza, and it really turned out great. [Dallas Cowboy] Morris Claiborne was in attendance.”
Local artist Willie Jones who appeared on “The X Factor,” will sing the national anthem at this year’s event, while Mayor Cedric Glover and Sheriff Steve Prator serve as VIP grand marshals.
“We’re very excited to have Willie [attend the event],” Audrey Robinson, chairman of the board for the CCOA, said. “He’s been very supportive and will even be delivering one of our meals, which he’s really excited about.”
Because the senior population can sometimes be a silent demographic, it’s important that guests take away the true message of the event.
“There is a need in our community, and that’s what’s key,” Robinson said.
“People know [about] Meals on Wheels – it’s just one of those organizations they’ve heard of, but we want to keep it at the forefront of their minds that it’s an organization that’s deeply needed in our community. Without donations, it can’t continue. Just like with other organizations, budget cuts are deep, and it’s these donations that make sure we continue to provide these services.”
Robinson said the March 4 Meals event is also about raising awareness of the other side to the Caddo Council on Aging.
“While this [event] does benefit Meals on Wheels, we’ve also been very successful with our Tech Talks on Fridays at the Randall T. Moore Center and other programs,” she said.
Food trucks and fan favorite vendors such as Some Like It Hot and Happy Belly will offer their menus to the lunchtime crowds, while entertainment by the a cappella choir from Caddo Magnet High School and the Byrd High School jazz band will also be provided. To get involved with the event or become a sponsor, contact Rountree at 676-7900.
In their campaign to raise awareness on senior hunger and the need for their services in the local community, Rountree said it was important for donors and guests alike to know the CCOA doesn’t spend any money sponsoring this event, and that 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to providing seniors with a hot meal.
“Right now, we’re delivering about 1,000 meals every day,” Rountree said. “And if we keep at about 1,000 to 1,050 meals, we can keep up. Years ago, however, before we started this campaign and had any volunteers, we were only serving about 500 meals a day and had a waiting list that was years long.”
Rountree said in some cases, by the time they could reach someone on the waiting list, they were no longer able to live at home independently, and it was too late for their services. She said if they had been able to reach them, maybe they would have been able to stay at home.
“The big trend nationwide is to keep our seniors home,” she said. “There really is no place like it. And truth be told, we’re going to have to – the institutions with all of the baby boomers coming in can’t hold [all] of them. So we’re excited [to be able to help].”
The CCOA provides numerous other services in addition to their Meals on Wheels program, including a homemaker who can take care of light household tasks for homebound persons; a family caregiver who can provide short-term temporary relief care to caregivers so that they can take a break; foster grandparents who serve as mentors, tutors and caregivers to youth with special needs; medical alert, which acts as a senior emergency response system; and personal care for homebound seniors, as well as other referral resources.
Find out more
For more information on the services provided by the CCOA, visit www.caddocouncilonaging.org.
