Happy March for Meals! Every year we celebrate Meals on Wheels during March to commemorate the amendment to the Older Americans Act that established a national nutrition program for seniors, which Richard Nixon signed into law on March 22, 1972.
Since this time last year, Bugbee volunteers delivered 20,977 meals to 130 homebound people from Hartford to Thetford. To get all those meals cooked and delivered, that took our kitchen staff working Monday to Friday every week, plus 458 hours from volunteer kitchen aides, plus a humbling 1,923 hours from our amazing volunteer drivers! It’s an incredible endeavor, but we are the lucky ones for getting to know our community’s homebound seniors.
As we celebrate the people who make this program possible, this milestone comes at a time federal funding for Meals on Wheels is at risk. Congress has until March 8, the next federal funding deadline, to provide adequate support for the national senior nutrition program. Across the country, one in three programs have a waitlist, with seniors waiting an average of three months for vital meals. Members of Congress need to hear from you, so they know how important the program is.
At Bugbee, we are always looking for ways to help seniors avoid hunger and isolation. That’s also part of the reason why we’re starting “Eat & Greet,” a new program that matches homebound seniors with some of the friendliest people we know, so that they have someone to eat with. If you would like to meet some new friends, either as a meal recipient, or as a volunteer, let us know! 802-295-9068.
In the meantime, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Hope we don’t get startled by any rascally leprechauns. See you all soon 🙂
Mark Bradley
Executive Director