MOWSW Awarded Grant From Mount Union -- Thanks For Your Votes!

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties received a $1,000 grant from the "Pay It Forward" program promoted by the students of the Developmental Economics class at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.

Tom Delamater, public relations administrator (left in photo), attended the ceremony on behalf of the agency. The presentation took place in the Alumni Room of the Hoover-Price Campus Center on Sunday, November 21.

Dr. Martin Horning, class professor (with Tom in the photo), presented the award. Other non-profits receiving awards were Feed My Sheep Ministries of Alliance and The Workshops Inc. of Canton.

Students were divided into groups and asked to select a non-profit organization to feature. Each group produced a video as part of their presentation. Videos were posted on the Internet, and online voting was part of the criteria for which organizations were selected.

The students who worked on the award-winning Meals On Wheels presentation were Brianna Allison, Mina Arai, Richard Brownfield, Mike Ciszewski and John Comella. They visited the agency and interviewed CEO Teresa Barry for their video.

Our thanks to the students, the university, and everyone who voted for us! We appreciate the interest and support, and will put the grant to good use.

Our Annual Pet Food Collection Drive Is Underway!

Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties has launched our fifth annual pet food collection drive, which solicits donations of pet food from area companies, organizations and individuals. The pet food is then provided to Meals on Wheels clients for their pets.

“People get excited every year when we start our collection drive,” said CEO Teresa Barry. “They love the idea of helping people and their pets during the holidays, and this gives them the perfect opportunity to do both.”

Collection bins are available at:
• Banfield, The Pet Hospital, inside Petsmart on Dressler Rd. in North Canton
• Banfield, The Pet Hospital, inside Petsmart on Lincoln Way East in Massillon
• PBS Animal Health, 2780 Richville Dr. S.E., Massillon
• PBS Animal Health, 3188 Lincoln Way E., Wooster
• Rural King, 3541 Lincoln Way E., Wooster
• Surbey Feed & Supply, 9 Canal St. W., Navarre
• Tractor Supply, 4020 Erie Ave. S.W., Massillon
• Belloni Foods, 258 S. Wabash Ave., Brewster
• Thorne’s supermarket, 1400 E. State St., Alliance
• Thorne’s supermarket, 653 S. Union Ave., Alliance

Donations of dog or cat food may also be dropped off Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at our office building, located at 2363 Nave St. S.E. in Massillon.

We collected more than 14,000 pounds of pet food over the past four years. The pet food drive, which runs through Dec. 31, is part of the “Season of Suppers” campaign, sponsored in part by the Banfield Charitable Trust of Portland, Ore.

Questions? Call us at 330-832-7220.

Vote For Us - Your Vote Could Help Us Receive a Grant!

A group of students from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, recently visited our agency to interview CEO Teresa Barry and videotape some of the work done at our administrative office building.

The students used the footage as part of a project for their Service Learning class. Groups in the class selected a non-profit organization to highlight. The videos are posted online.

A link to the project's web page can be found at http://www.mountunion.edu/pay-it-forward-1. To help Meals On Wheels, click on any "Vote Now" link and vote for our project. Later this month, the non-profit organization receiving the most votes will receive a small grant.

There is a link to the video they did about us. You can also view it below:


Meals On Wheels EC 375
Uploaded by UMUJohnC. - College experience videos.

More Than Turkey & Dressing On Our November Menu!

Even with Thanksgiving on the horizon, there's plenty more than just turkey on our November menu. Click on the image below for a larger view:

New Staff Members at Our Agency Office

We recently welcomed two new staff members at Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

Linda Spielman has joined the agency as Volunteer Coordinator. She is responsible for recruiting and scheduling volunteers who deliver meals to each of the 21 distribution locations, and to clients’ homes. Before joining Meals On Wheels, Linda worked in vendor management at Serva, Inc., in Independence. Prior to that she was a shift supervisor and youth coordinator at Hall of Fame Lanes in Canton. She has two grown children and lives in Jackson Township.

Darlene Leeder is the agency’s Secretary/Receptionist. She comes to Meals On Wheels from Business Success Enterprises in Wooster where she worked as a secretary. Before that Darlene held the position of accounting clerk at Bridgeview Customs Brokers in Canada. She lives in Apple Creek with her husband Mike and their children.

We're happy to welcome Linda and Darlene to our team!

Uncork Some Dollars for Meals On Wheels

Count Gallo Family Vineyards among the respected brands and companies that are working with Meals On Wheels to help feed Americans in need.

For each Gallo Family Vineyards cork collected between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010, Gallo Family Vineyards will donate $5 to assist the Meals On Wheels Association of America in its hunger relief efforts.

Collect and mail corks to:
Gallo Family Vineyards
Meals On Wheels Donation
P.O. Box 1154
Grand Rapids, MN 55745-1154

Please use a padded or bubble envelope or turf-pak to mail cork(s) with sufficient First Class postage. Packages must be postmarked between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010, and received by Jan. 10, 2011.

For more information about the promotion, visit http://www.everycorkcounts.com/.