Massillon Independent, Jan. 8, 2008
By FLO LYNN, Independent correspondent
No one can better attest to the importance of the Meals on Wheels mission of delivering meals to homebound clients and at designated sites than the recipients of the service themselves.
This was demonstrated by the reception of residents at Mayfield Apartments in Canton who were delighted to be among the opening-day recipients of the second annual month-long "Health-Care Heroes for Nutrition" campaign under the combined efforts of Meals on Wheels of Stark and Wayne Counties, headquartered in Massillon, and Aultman Hospital and AultCare, headquartered in Canton, but reaching throughout surrounding communities.
Throughout January, employees of both Aultman Hospital and AultCare will be volunteering their time to assist in meal deliveries to homebound individuals of all ages.
"With over 130 Aultman and AultCare employees taking part in the inaugural campaign, we are very excited about the chance to use their positive experiences in spreading the word among their co-workers and using that as a springboard to bigger and better this year," said Teresa Barry, chief executive officer for Meals on Wheels of Stark and Wayne Counties. "This partnership, like many we share throughout the community, allows us to shed more light on our agency and its services to participating individuals, and allows them to share in the joy of providing assistance to those in our community who really benefit from the services we provide."
Among those joining the campaign kick-off were Chris Remark, Aultman Health Foundation chief operating officer; Kevin Pete, AultCare associate vice president of clinical services; Vi Leggett, Aultman Health Foundation vice president of corporate training; Kimberly Bricker, AultCare associate vice president of corporate development; David Grimm, Meals On Wheels of Stark and Wayne Counties board president and Canton Mayor William Healy II.
Members of this group paired off and, laden with the packaged meals, delivered them to MOW participants residing at Mayfield Apartments.
Reflecting on the MOW program, Remark pointed out that "Many take for granted their ability to prepare or obtain nutritionally-balanced meals, which is the key to good general health. As health-care workers, our employees understand this basic need and want to help our community enjoy the benefits of good nutrition."
Following the distribution of meals, the contingent then went to the MOW headquarters in Massillon where members toured the premises and were served lunch.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
MOW depends on volunteers for daily deliveries to the homebound individuals. The agency has 21 sites throughout Stark and Wayne counties and is in need of volunteers at all of their sites. Services include delivery of hot meals, breakfast meals, sack suppers, frozen meals and liquid supplements Monday through Friday. For more information about the program, call 330-832-7220 or 1-800-466-8010 or visit www.mow-starkwayne.org.
The Aultman Health Foundation is a not-for-profit health-care organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The vertically-integrated institution includes Aultman Hospital, the locally-managed, health-insurance provider AultCare, Aultman Foundation and Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
