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Join hundreds of runners who will gather at Saturday’s March for Meals in downtown Kissimmee to raise money for Osceola Meals on Wheels. PHOTO/OSCEOLA COUNCIL ON AGING
If you are attending the annual March for Meals 5K in downtown Kissimmee, you are helping raise funds to help address senior hunger in your community. So put on your green, run (or walk) the race, and have fun.
Beyond that, this is a critical year for Osceola County Meals on Wheels and the Osceola Council on Aging. The annual race is the program’s major fundraiser of the year, and this is the first time in three years the Meals on Wheels folks will be able to put on its full-fledged event, as part of the kickoff for the annual national March for Meals campaign in the month of March.
The COVID-19 pandemic reared its head just about a week before the 2020 event, wiping it out. The 2021 event was held, with restrictions and a smaller turnout as people were still heading out in smaller numbers.
“It’s so important for us to get back to normal,” said Wilda Belisle, senior vice president of Meals on Wheels for the Osceola Council on Aging. “The pandemic cut down on what we’ve been able to do and offer, but it doubled (from 275 to 575 at one point) the number of families we were asked to provide for because of people quarantining, and even people out of town calling, asking us to check on and provide meals for their older family members.
“It is more important this year than ever because we’re trying to catch up, we have more seniors. We put so much emphasis into this event to create awareness of the program along with raising funds so we can continue the services. We don’t just provide meals to seniors, we also provide for the families in need in our area.”
The Meals on Wheels program is much more than providing a meal a day. It also serves as a community outreach program, checking in on area seniors, a service needed more than ever in light of the pandemic.
Registration information can be found online at www. osceolagenerations.org/march-for-meals. The Council on Aging and Meals on Wheels are encouraging corporate and government department teams to come out — about 30 teams were signed up as of the end of last week, about the same number as in 2019, the last race unaffected by COVID-19. And, since this year marks the 50th anniversary of both the Osceola Council on Aging and the federal government act that created the Meals on Wheels program, Belisle said they are shooting to have 50 teams and to raise $50,000, which would be double the amount raised last year.
Awards will be given out for the Largest (dominated of late by Bruce Vickers and the Osceola Tax Collectors office) and Most Spirited teams, along with the fastest runners.
“We need individuals, corporate and family teams to come out and walk and run to help individuals who are counting on us to provide meals,” Belisle said.
Parking will be available at the Kissimmee Intermodal Parking Garage, adjacent to the SunRail station. Because of the road race, some downtown streets will close from 7-9 a.m.:
• Lakeview Drive and Lakeshore Boulevard
• Ruby Avenue
• Monument Avenue between Broadway and Lakeshore
• Pleasant Street between Monument Avenue and Ruby
• Bryan Street between Ruby and Dillingham Avenue
• South Beaumont Avenue
• East Dakin Avenue between Lakeshore and Johnston Street
• Tohopekaliga Avenue between Drury Avenue and Dakin Avenue
