NEKCOA Celebrates March for Meals

The NEK Council on Aging announced that it will be participating in the 19th Annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and elder neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home, now even more so amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the last year, we have experienced, in certain areas, a doubling in the demand for our services across the NEK,” said Meg Burmeister, Executive Director for the NEKCOA. “We have been in awe of the outpouring of support, and there’s still more 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.”

During the last fiscal year, the NEKCOA’s partner meal sites, 16 across the NEK, served 2,184 people with over 212,289 take home or home-delivered meals.

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.

“Even before the pandemic, the staff and volunteers who support our 16 meals sites demonstrated tremendous dedication to our elder friends and neighbors. The meal sites serve as a friendly gathering place for social engagement and we are looking forward to welcoming folks back for congregate meals in the not-too-distant future,” said Burmeister.

Alice Blair is a longtime Danville senior meals client who greatly appreciates receiving meals through home delivery. She gained her culinary expertise while studying at the University of Maine at Farmington. She taught home economics for many years at the Danville and Concord Schools.

Among her favorite foods from the Danville Meal Site are meats and fish. "The fish is VERY good," she says. "They cook it just right! I like the portion sizes and can create two meals out of one packaged meal. I like practically everything and eat well!"