By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

For some, the number 13 is an unlucky number. But not for some moms in Osceola County.
This is the 13th year the Osceola County Council on Aging in Kissimmee will host Meals for Mom on Mother’s Day May 9. From 10 a.m. to noon, volunteers will go around the county area to give out a meal and flowers to mothers who may not have anyone to bring them joy on their special day.
“Holidays tend to be a lonely time for seniors, said Janice Casler, council executive assistant. “We want to make this a special time for them.”
But the council cannot do it on its own. It’s a program that the agency relies on community support to do.
People can either sponsor one of the regular Meals on Wheels clients or someone they know or even a complete stranger who has been identified through the council’s programs for the elderly. Sponsors can mail in $10 for each person they would like to send a meal and flower, either anonymously or to someone they know personally. Often, it is someone’s elderly neighbor that is remembered with a meal and flower on Mother’s Day according to a council press release.
“Typically, we deliver meals to more than 175 residents each day as part of our Meals on Wheels Program, helping elderly residents maintain their nutrition as well as their independence,” stated Beverly Hougland, CEO of the Council on Aging, in the press release. “But on Mother’s Day, that number increases dramatically as many mothers living alone receive a special gift from a neighbor, family friend or a private sponsor.”
Kissimmee Florist in Kissimmee has donated the carnations to give to the mothers over the years. Florist shop owner Danny Sexton said some of the local moms have children “one hundred miles away, a thousand miles away.” This year, Sexton said he’ll probably donate between 500 and 600 flowers.
“It’s something that lights up their day,” Sexton said. “That’s reason enough.”
Last year, there were about 500 moms who received meals and a carnation, a total of 425 stops.
Kissimmee resident Amy Kuzo was a volunteer last year and wants to do it again this Mother’s Day.
“We like to give back to the senior center,” said Kuzo, who’s 85-year-old mother attends adult day care at the center. “They give back to us. It was the right thing to do.”
The human contact puts smiles on faces of meal recipients and that’s what it’s all about, Kuzo said.
“They love to talk to you,” she said. “A lot of people don’t have anybody to talk to.”
This year, the council is going to need 31 volunteers to deliver meals with about 10 to 15 people to work in the council kitchen to prepare meals
Anyone interested in sponsoring a meal for a mom or volunteering can contact the council office at 407-846-8532.