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Community Action celebrates The 14th Annual March for Meals along with Meals on Wheels Programs from across the Country
Lincoln Fire and Police Chiefs step up and volunteer

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[April 18, 2016]  LINCOLN – The Community Action Senior Nutrition Program invited local volunteers to help serve home delivered meals.


Lincoln Fire Chief Mark Miller

In honor of the 2016 March for Meals’ annual Community Champions Week Lincoln Fire Chief Miller and Police Chief Adams, along with his 2 children, gave their time and friendly smiles as they went door to door delivering meals.


Lincoln Police Chief Paul Adams and children

Across the country this week, Meals on Wheels programs have enlisted elected officials, local celebrities and other prominent figures to deliver meals, speak out for seniors and raise awareness for the power of Meals on Wheels.

“By inviting our local elected officials we have increased awareness of the need for volunteers and donations to help keep serving the seniors in our communities. Pictures and posts were shared on Facebook and have reached over 3500 people,” said Becky Leamon, Nutrition Services Director of Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois. “The Community Action Senior Nutrition program is only partially funded by Area Agency on Aging for Lincolnland and United Way of Logan County and needs the help of volunteers and donations to provide this service to our seniors, especially now while the State of Illinois has not passed a budget. Our program is one of the few who have been able to continue all meal deliveries to each participant despite the budget impasse.”

Since 2002, Meals on Wheels America has led the March for Meals in an effort to fill the gap between the seniors served and those in need that is widening due to increased demand with a rapidly aging population combined with declining public and private resources, and rising food, transportation and operational costs. This March, hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs, like Community Action Senior Nutrition, reached out to their communities to build the support that will enable them to deliver nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to America's seniors all year long.

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“More than ever, we must join forces – local Meals on Wheels programs, governments, businesses and concerned individuals – to meet the needs of the fastest growing population in America who want to be able to live at home for as long as they can,” said Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander. “It not only makes economic sense to enable seniors to stay healthy and safe at home, but it improves the health and vibrancy of our communities and our nation at large.”

For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute or speak out for the seniors in your community and across the country, visit www.marchformeals.com

About Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois Senior Nutrition Program:

Over 1,650 meals are prepared and delivered monthly to individuals who are homebound and/or unable to prepare nutritious meals for themselves. Daily meals are prepared at the Central Kitchen located in Lincoln, Illinois and packed up for distribution. For those participants living outside of Lincoln, the meals are loaded into a temperature controlled truck so hot meals remain hot and cold meals remain cold. Drivers, paid and volunteer, receive training and provide a safety check as well as a warm friendly smile to participants. On more than one occasion, the driver has come across participants who appeared to be having difficulty or needed emergency assistance and reported it immediately to the Nutrition Services Director so that appropriate emergency services and/or contacts can be reached and lives saved. For some individuals receiving meals, the driver may be the only person they see. This is why it is so important to provide this service, so that no senior is forgotten or goes hungry. If you would like to become a volunteer, donate or learn more about our program please call 217-732-2159, e-mail bleamon@capcil.org  or visit our web page at capcil.info.

About Meals on Wheels America

Meals on Wheels America is the oldest and largest national organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. This network exists in virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, research, education and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org

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