-
March for Meals
The Osceola Council on Aging Meals on Wheels program will host the national 2021 March for Meals campaign by kicking off March for Meals 5K, sponsored by Kissimmee Utility Authority.
The event will be Saturday, March 13, at the Kissimmee Lakefront Park and will include a 5K (3.1 mile) run and walk for individuals and/or corporate and family teams, largest and most spirited team competition, a free Kid’s Run, silent auction, and those who finish will receive a metal. Plus, if you bring non-perishable food items to help us build the food pantry, you will be entered a special prize drawing.
You can see the most-up-to-date information on the March for Meals 5K at www.osceolagenerations.com. The event will start at 6:30 a.m. (registration) and the run and walk begins at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $25, before March 1, and $30 March 2 - 12 and $35 (day of event). Register online through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kua-presents-march-for-meals-st-patricks-5k-runwalk-registration-75868860805.
If you registered for March for Meals 5K in 2020, your registration would carry over into the 2021 registration.
Team Challenge: “Team Challenge” allows folks to sign-up a team with five plus participants and compete for team awards in the following categories: Most Team Spirit and Largest Team. Be creative, use your imagination and “Let’s Be Fit for Food.” We look forward to bringing together businesses and organizations from all over Central Florida for a day of fun – “Team Challenge” excitement! Special discount offered with five or more entries ($5 off).
“We have seen such a need in our community due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, so our seniors and families in our community need us more than ever for
food and services, that is why it is so imperative to have the Meals on Wheels program,” said Wilda Belisle, senior vice president of Meals on Wheels for the Osceola Council on Aging. “Meals on Wheels is much more than a meal a day; it also it gives us an opportunity to check in on our seniors, now more than ever. We need individuals, corporate and family teams to come out and walk and run to help individuals who are counting on us to provide them a hot and/or cold meal. We need to fight hunger today! We need our community's help!”
March for Meals is a national campaign held during the month of March, initiated and sponsored by the Meals on Wheels Association of America to raise awareness of senior hunger and to encourage action on the part of local communities. Hundreds of Senior Nutrition Programs across the United States, like Meals on Wheels, promote Osceola Council on Aging March for Meals through public events, partnerships with local businesses, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives.
“The month of March is a fitting time to not only celebrate the successful history of Meals on Wheels, but for our communities to understand that our Meals on Wheels programs are serving and average of 77 percent more meals and 47 percent more seniors than they were on March 1 last year,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Meals on Wheels America finds that nearly all local Meals on Wheels programs are experiencing financial strain and uncertainty while maintaining critical service to an estimated hundreds of thousands more seniors than before the pandemic hit in March 2020.”
If you would like to be a March for Meals 5K partner and would like more information, contact Wilda Belisle at the Osceola Council on Aging at 407-847-2144 or belislew@osceola-coa.com.
