Featured Image: Local racing legend Mario Andretti and longtime Meals On Wheels of Northampton County volunteer Dale Sourbeck are joined by Lehigh County Commissioner Amy Zanelli (left) and Northampton County Councilwoman Tara Zrinski. Andretti, Zanelli and Zrinski were among the local dignitaries who helped to celebrate Meals For Wheels’ March For Meals 2018 by delivering meals to seniors and adults with disabilities in the community on Friday, March 23.

 

(BETHLEHEM) – Prominent figures served as Community Champions for Meals On Wheels of Northampton County on Friday (March 23), as they delivered meals to home-bound seniors and adults with disabilities as part of the organization’s March For Meals celebration. 

Here are the names of the Community Champions: 

Amy Zanelli, Lehigh County Commissioner

Janet Mease, EVP & COO, Two Rivers Health & Wellness Foundation

Lehigh Valley Roller Derby team members

Mario Andretti, Auto Racing Legend

Sal Panto, Mayor of Easton

Tara Zrinski, Northampton County Councilwoman

Teresa Osborne, Secretary of the PA Department of Aging

 

These Community Champions met at Meals On Wheels of Northampton County – 4240 Fritch Dr. in Bethlehem – in the morning and were given a tour of the kitchen where Meals On Wheels staff members make all their hot and cold meals fresh daily. Champions were then introduced to experienced volunteers who would join them on their respective delivery routes. Following their meal deliveries, the Community Champions and their volunteer peers returned to Meals On Wheels of Northampton County to enjoy some light refreshments and engage with other volunteers and staff. 

“We are so grateful to have these Community Champions bring awareness to all the meals and the wellness visits that we provide seniors and adults with disabilities who are home-bound,” said JoAnn Nenow, Executive Director of Meals On Wheel of Northampton County. “We work to ensure that people in need receive the nutrition they deserve so they can eat healthier and remain living independently. Our Community Champions, together with our dedicated volunteers and staff year-round, help to make that possible.”  

Other Community Champions who will deliver meals as part of March For Meals but on a different day include:

·       Lamont McClure, Northampton County Executive, and Becky Bartlett, Deputy Director of Administration, will be a Community Champion on Wed., March 28;

·       Lance Prator, Mayor of Portland, and the Nam Knights of America Lehigh Valley Chapter will deliver on Friday, March 30.

This year marks the 16^th year of the March For Meals initiative. March for Meals commemorates the historic day in March 1972 when President Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 and established a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older. Since 2002, 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 and adults with disabilities served and those still in need.

Meals On Wheels of Northampton County is a private, nonprofit organization that has supported healthy living through the delivery of nutrition and grocery shopping services, wellness visits and more since 1972. In 2017, Meals On Wheels of Northampton County prepared more than 560,000 nutritious and medically tailored meals for nearly 1,600 clients in Northampton County and for multiple organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley that it serves through meal contracts. 

For more information, please visit www.mealsonwheelspa.org.

 

Information Provided By:
Tom Harper
Director of Development
Meals On Wheels of Northampton County
4240 Fritch Drive, Bethlehem PA 18020
www.mealsonwheelspa.org

 

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