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Issue 8 / Volume 3                           March 2019

WWW.MOWDIABLOREGION.ORG

  		 

Community Champions:
 
Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is an agency that thrives on its partnerships in the community. This month even more as we celebrate March for Meals, a national campaign to raise awareness of the important needs of our senior community. Tomorrow is the annual Community March and you can join us in person at City Park, downtown Brentwood, or show your support on social media.

Next week the excitement will continue with Community Champions Week. Elected officials and community leaders will go on ride-alongs throughout the county with MOWDR volunteers to deliver meals and meet our amazing clients.

Read on to learn how you can participate in March for Meals and Community Champions Week. You’ll also read about...

  • How Mari gave her wheels in support of meals
  • MOWDR’s  new high tech Meal Delivery App for volunteers
  • An update on the MOWDR executive transition process

Every time you march, donate, volunteer, and spread the word, you are being a champion of the senior community!

Thank you for everything you do!


Carrie Blanding

Interim Executive Director

 

     
Community Partnerships in Action: March for Meals

Community partnerships spring from an identified need and the motivation to work together and give. We find humanity through sharing, whether the giving is in the form of help from a volunteer, money given by a donor, or the collective teamwork of a business.

In March we are partnering with older citizens, young students, elected officials, and community leaders to bring attention to the needs of seniors during our March for Meals month-long campaign.

The national March for Meals campaign is an annual month-long event designed to give public awareness about senior hunger and isolation, and to celebrate the invaluable services provided by senior nutrition programs. This annual campaign is also intended to showcase the successes of the Older Americans Act, which helps fund MOWDR, to recruit new volunteers, and increase support from local businesses, officials, and community organizations.


 		 


TWO EVENTS SCHEDULED
On March 15th MOWDR is holding a peaceful advocacy march to increase awareness of issues faced by seniors in our community. We will march in downtown Brentwood around City Park on Friday, March 15th, from 11am to 12:30pm. This is an intergenerational event open to anyone interested in advocating for older adults who may not be able to speak on their own behalf. Marchers create their own signs and after marching are invited to enjoy the lunches they bring while listening to presentations from local elected officials. Representatives from the offices of California State Assemblyman Jim Frazier, County Supervisor, Diane Burgis and Brentwood Mayor, Robert Taylor are scheduled to speak or present certificates from 12:00 pm to 12:30pm.

The week of March 18 to March 23 is Community Champions Week—when elected officials and community leaders are invited to go on ride-alongs throughout the county with MOWDR volunteers to deliver meals and meet our amazing clients.
 
This campaign will touch lives, build partnerships, and bring the humanity that enriches lives through sharing, We encourage you to participate in any way you can!

To participate in this year’s March for Meals Community March or in a Community Champions ride-along, please contact Susannah Meyer, Community Engagement Director at: smeyer@mowdr.org or call 925.239.2487. To learn more please visit: https://www.mowdiabloregion.org/events.
 


 
Habit of Giving -
Mari's Story
When Mari made the difficult decision to give up driving and the car that had served her well for so many years, she feared she would also be losing some of her independence. By donating her beloved car to Meals on Wheels Diablo Region through  Able Auto Donations, she was able to find peace of mind knowing that her donation would help others to live independently and with dignity for as long as possible. Read her story.

 

ServTracker® Mobile Meals App - Improving Deliveries to Our Clients
MOWDR's Meals on Wheels program has started using ServTracker® Mobile Meals app to help our volunteer drivers deliver meals more efficiently, using real-time completion data and communication.

We caught up with Steve Pickleman, a long-time volunteer who delivers meals in the Walnut Creek area, to ask him about his experience using the app.

Steve is enthusiastic about the ServTracker app, saying, "At the end of my route I feel a real sense of satisfaction knowing that I've done everything correctly." Since Steve is prompted by the app to enter information in real time he doesn't need to worry about missing anything. He adds, "I'm grateful that the app alerts me to changes in the route ahead of time. Before the app there were occasions when a delivery was cancelled and if I missed a call or couldn't contact the office I would worry about the client's well being. Now I have peace of mind because I can get special instructions ahead of time."

Our volunteer drivers do so much more than deliver a nutritious, hot meal. That knock on the door also brings a friendly face, a wellness check, a connection to resources, and the knowledge that someone cares. It’s amazing what a difference you can make with only two hours, once a week.

Learn more about our volunteer opportunities at:mowdiabloregion.org/deliver-meals
  


 
 

Executive Transition Update:
It’s been a few months since we wrote to you about the executive transition, and we thought you might like an update! We sat down with Carrie Blanding to get the scoop.

Q: Carrie, you joined Meals on Wheels Diablo Region as Interim Executive Director in December. When will you launch the search for a permanent ED?
A: We expect to launch the search sometime this summer.

Q: Why the delay?
A: When an influential leader moves on, it’s often best to not try to fill their shoes immediately. No one could do that! Instead, we are using this transition as an opportunity to take our internal processes and operational infrastructure to an even higher level. This will help the next ED hit the ground running.

Q: Are you making big changes to MOWDR's programs during the transition?
A: Nope. We are still delivering (and in some cases expanding) all of our award-winning wrap-around services! These include Meal Delivery, C.C. Cafes, Fall Prevention, Care Management, Friendly Visitors, and more.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for our readers about how they can support MOWDR during the transition?
A: Keep doing what you do! Volunteer. Donate. Spread the word about our programs… Your support makes all the difference!
 
 
 
The Media is All Abuzz About Meals on Wheels Diablo Region!
We're only three months into 2019 and MOWDR has been in the news throughout Contra Costa County quite a bit! Check out these links to learn more about what we've been up to:
 

VISIT A SENIOR FRIEND ONCE A WEEK FOR ABOUT AN HOUR!
A growing number of seniors are isolated and can’t visit their friends and family as much as they used to. Our Friendly Visitors program matches these people with screened and trained volunteers from the community for weekly one-hour visits. Let us match you with a new friend and experience how making a senior's life less lonely will change your life forever. Learn more: mowdiabloregion.org/visit-senior

 

See what Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has been up to this past month in our photo gallery! Click here to enjoy our photos.

Welcome to the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region family of volunteers! Click Here to see the list of our newest volunteers.

Check out upcoming Meals on Wheels Diablo Region and other community events coming near you! Click here to learn more.

A special thank you to our generous donors who have given in tribute or in memory of their loved ones.Click here to see the list.

Read recent articles featuring Meals on Wheels Diablo Region in the community.

Frozen food is convenient but did you know it should be a staple in your diet? Read more about it here Artful Aging Blog.