Kent Stark, Stark State Freshmen Volunteer As Part of Orientation Activities

For the third consecutive year, freshmen students from Kent State Stark are volunteering at Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

As with past years, it is part of a service learning project designed to help integrate the students into the local community.

This year, students from Stark State College of Technology, located adjacent to Kent State Stark, are also participating in the project. Students help assemble meals in the commissary, and then go out on our Massillon routes to deliver meals to clients.

So far student groups have volunteered on July 22 and 29, and will continue the following two Fridays as well.

Kent State Stark, located in Jackson Township, is the largest regional campus of Kent State University, serving 10,000 students annually -- more than half of those in academic coursework and the rest in professional development courses.

With approximately 15,000 students, Stark State College is the largest of five colleges and universities in Stark County, and is the sixth largest of Ohio’s 23 public two-year colleges in the University System of Ohio. The College offers more than 230 associate degrees, options, and one-year and career enhancement certificates.

Learn More About Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties in Our Annual Report

Our 2010 annual report for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties provides a snapshot of our activities, funding, expenditures, and board members. It also includes an overview of FY2010 from our CEO, Teresa Barry.

Here's an interesting, yet little-known, fact that appears in the report: Since 1974, and through the end of last fiscal year (9/30/10), we had served 10,780,967 meals. The beat goes on in 2011 as we have surpassed 11,000,000 meals served in our history.

To read the annual report, just click on the images below.

March For Meals Grant Awarded to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties was awarded a $1,000 March For Meals grant by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) for its promotional activities during the 2011 campaign.

March For Meals is an annual campaign promoted by MOWAA to raise awareness of meal delivery programs and agencies nationwide. The campaign is conducted during the month of March and encourages special activities designed to raise attention, and donations, for member agencies. It includes then annual "Mayors For Meals" delivery date, on which mayors and other civic officials are invited to deliver meals in communities across the country.

This year Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties organized volunteers to help deliver custom door hangers to homes throughout the two-county area. Volunteers from 10 area organizations blanketed neighborhoods on Wednesday, March 23, and dropped off the door hangers (pictured) to individual residences.

That same day, eight area mayors delivered meals to our clients living in their communities. We've appreciated the participation of the mayors in Stark and Wayne counties over the years. It shows their support of our work, while also giving them the opportunity to interact directly with several of their constituents. Mayor Frank Cicchinelli of Massillon (at left in photo) was one of the mayors who delivered meals this year.

We appreciate the leadership of MOWAA in promoting March For Meals each year, and their generosity with the annual grants that help offset costs for member agencies and their clients.

Wayne County Community Foundation Awards Grant to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

We're again the beneficiaries of the generosity and community spirit of one of our local foundations, as the trustees of the Wayne County Community Foundation recently awarded $4,826 to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties for a refrigerator/freezer unit.

The refrigerator/freezer will be installed at our Wooster nutrition site. We've had a presence there for more than 20 years, and each weekday we deliver more than 100 meals on six delivery routes. The new unit will allow for more versatility with food storage and prep in Wooster.

Meals On Wheels was one of 15 organizations receiving grants from the foundation this spring. The grant was made with funds from the Marjorie B. Newland Memorial Fund and the David and Carol Briggs Unrestricted Fund.

We're grateful to the trustees of the foundation for their support as we continue to serve the needs of homebound individuals in Wooster and Wayne County.

Massillon Area Community Civic Trust Awards Grant to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

The Massillon Area Community Civic Trust announced its latest round of grants in June, and we're pleased to report that Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties was on the list.

The trustees decided to award $1,000 to Meals On Wheels to go toward the purchase of one of two new water heaters needed in our administrative building and commissary in Massillon.

The current heaters are still working, but have been in place for nearly 14 years -- well beyond their normal 10-year lifespan. Anticipating the need to replace them, we have begun the process of seeking grants to offset the anticipated cost.

The Civic Trust helps organizations in Massillon and Western Stark County, meaning "they are usually able to purchase something they wouldn't be able to buy with their own budgets," Judy Miller, president of the Trust, told the Massillon Independent. "That is really important to them."

The Massillon Area Community Civic Trust Fund was established in 1982 as an extension of the Stark Community Foundation and provides funding specifically to the Western Stark County community which encompasses the cities of Massillon and Canal Fulton and Bethlehem, Jackson, Lawrence, Perry, Sugar Creek and Tuscarawas townships.

We congratulate our fellow recipients of grants, and are grateful for the generosity and support of the trustees of the Civic Trust.

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties Wins New Toyota Highlander in Facebook Voting!

We're thrilled to report that we came out on top in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Facebook voting on Saturday, July 16, which means that we will receive a new Toyota Highlander later this year.

Toyota is conducting the program throughout the summer and will give away 100 Toyota vehicles over 100 days as a way to give back to non profit organizations.

Earlier this year, Toyota invited applications from non profits across the country, eventually narrowing the field to 500 finalists. Each day for 100 days, five finalists are eligible for voting per day.

Our voting day was Saturday, July 16. Voting began at 6 a.m. EST, and, in true nail-biting fashion, continued until 12 midnight EST. Although we knew from percentages posted on Toyota's 100 cars Facebook page that we were holding a lead late on Saturday, it wasn't until mid-day on Sunday that Toyota confirmed that we had come out on top (see image above).

We want to thank all of our Facebook friends, along with friends in the business community, the national Meals On Wheels Association of America office and our colleagues at member agencies nationwide for their votes and their help promoting our effort. We're grateful for your support!

Vote for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program; Here's How to Get a Head Start!

Earlier this year we published a post on this blog titled "Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties is One of 500 Finalists for Toyota's 100 Cars for Good Program."

What we're asking our readers and friends to do is to vote for us, via Facebook, on July 16 -- the only date you can vote for us -- to help us win a new Highlander Hybrid from Toyota. On that day, we'll be vying for the vote against four other non-profit agencies from around the country. Whoever gets the most votes that day gets the car.

You can get a head start right now on casting your vote on the 16th -- here's how:

1. While you're logged in to Facebook, go to: http://apps.facebook.com/carsforgood/
2. Click "view contestants"
3. Click on the letter M
4. Scroll down to "Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties," click on our name
5. Our date will come up, along with profiles of our agency and the other non-profits up for the vote that day.
6. Click on the "remind me to vote this day" button.
7. You'll be asked for permission to have Toyota email you a reminder to vote on July 16.

Upon your approval, Toyota will email the reminder to you, and all you have to do is go back to the page on July 16 and vote for us!

Please vote for us on on July 16, and spread the word so others do the same!

Vote for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties on July 16 in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program.

Hawaiian Chicken, Cheesy Johnny Marzetti, Four-Cheese Pasta Bake and More - All On Our July Menu

The July menu is hot -- click on the image below and see for yourself! (You can also access our menu online at http://www.mow-starkwayne.org/menu.aspx.)