Listen to Our CEO, Program Manager on WHBC's 'Health Matters' Radio Program

CEO Teresa Barry and Dietitian/Program Manager Nora Logsdon of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties appeared on this morning's edition of "Health Matters with The Medicine Center Pharmacy" on Newstalk 1480 WHBC in Canton.

Terri and Nora were interviewed by hosts Paul White and Brad White of the Medicine Center. "Health Matters" airs every Friday morning on WHBC. They discussed the history and mission of our agency, along with information about how we plan and prepare our meals and how people can begin home delivery.

To listen to the entire interview, follow this link to the WHBC program archives: Health Matters with The Medicine Center Pharmacy. Scroll down to the audio of the Oct. 7 program.

Congratulations to Nicholas Singer of Massillon, Winner of Our Buehler's Shopping Spree Promotion

During June and July, Rick Mirenzi and Pastor Berry Carter of the Akron-Canton Connection radio show on WHBC helped spread the word about a shopping spree promotion at Buehler's grocery store in Jackson Township.

Tickets were available for $5 each for a chance to win a 90-second shopping spree, with proceeds going to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. Nicholas Singer of Massillon was the winner as the result of a drawing that took place live on the air during Rick and Berry's show on July 27.

Nicholas' big day came on Tuesday, Aug. 23, as he was greeted at Buehler's by Rick and by Teresa Barry and Nora Logsdon of Meals On Wheels, and Dave Allen of Buehler's Community Relations.

Not only did Nicholas gain a basketful of food, but Meals On Wheels raised more than $500 thanks to the promotion! We congratulate Nicholas and thank Buehler's and the Akron-Canton Connection for their support of Meals On Wheels.

Massillon Independent Feature Puts the Spotlight on Meals On Wheels

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties was in the spotlight in a major news feature published Wednesday by the Massillon Independent.

Under the headline "Meals on Wheels keeps rolling," reporter Flo Lynn provides background and news of the agency based on an interview with Nora Logsdon, our program manager and dietitian.

Meals On Wheels "serves more than 2,000 meals a day, five days a week to shut-ins and clients of congregate centers," Lynn writes. She describes our commissary as a facilty "where meals are prepared and delivered regardless of weather conditions."

Click here to read the entire story on the Independent web site.

Spring Is In The Air -- and Sliced Ham, Wedding Soup, Chicken Baked Steak and Turkey & Dumplings Are In The Works For Our Clients!

The April menu is out, and it features another great variety of delicious, nutritious food.

Remember, all of our meals are planned by Nora Logsdon, our program manager and dietitian, and meet 1/3 the RDA for nutrition. Food is prepared fresh daily in our commercial commissary and delivered hot and ready to eat by our volunteer drivers.

To see the menu, click on the image below or visit http://mow-starkwayne.org/menu.aspx.

Listen to Our CEO on WHBC's "Akron-Canton Connection" Radio Program

Teresa Barry, CEO of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, and our program manager, Nora Logsdon, will appear on this morning's "Akron-Canton Connection" program on WHBC radio, 1480 AM in Canton. The program begins at 9:10 a.m. EST and runs until 10 o'clock.

To listen to the program live, or to access their archive of shows to listen to it later, click on this link.

Terri was scheduled to appear in February, but severe winter weather required her attention that morning at the agency. She ended up appearing on the program via a brief phone interview. Her full appearance was rescheduled for today.

The Akron-Canton Connection, with hosts Rick Mirenzi and Berry Carter, focuses on encouraging stories about people and organizations who strive to make a difference in the community. It airs Wednesdays at 9:10 a.m. They have their own web site at www.akroncantonconnection.com.

Annual Coordinators Meeting in Massillon

The coordinators from our 21 nutrition sites in Stark and Wayne counties converged on our administrative office building for their annual staff meeting on Oct. 21.

Nora Logsdon, program manager and dietitian, chaired the meeting, which takes place each year and covers various policies and procedures necessary to operating the sites successfully.

The coordinators oversee the distribution of meals from outlying sites to our clients. Food is prepared in our commissary in Massillon and then delivered by truck to the sites, where the coordinators and their assistants prepare the individual meals for daily delivery.

Their role is an important one, and the staff meeting is one of the ways that the agency communicates essential information to the coordinators, ensuring a smooth operation at our sites in the two-county area.

Meals On Wheels Of Stark & Wayne Counties Represented at MOWAA's 2010 Annual Conference in Atlanta

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties is represented at the 2010 Annual Conference in Atlanta this week.

Teresa Barry, CEO, and Nora Logsdon, program manager, left Sunday for the conference, which gets underway at noon today and runs through Thursday night. It is being held at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center.

"Building Communities to End Senior Hunger" is the theme of this year's conference, which will include general sessions, breakout seminars, a vendor fair and several receptions. Guest speakers include longtime ABC news reporter and anchor Sam Donaldson, and Tony Hall, an ambassador to the U.N. under former President George W. Bush and now managing director of the Alliance to End Hunger.

The conference will also feature a march across Centennial Park in Atlanta, a symbolic effort to draw attention to the fight against senior hunger in America. Conference attendees are being invited to participate in the march on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Terri's two-year term as chairman of the MOWAA board comes to an end during the conference. She'll continue to serve on the board as immediate past chairman, as well as on the board of the MOWAA Foundation.

MOWSW Execs Complete Nutrition Leadership Certification Program

Teresa Barry, CEO of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, and Nora Logsdon, program manager and dietitian, received certificates of nutrition leadership from the University of Dayton’s Center for Leadership & Executive Development on Nov. 13.

They completed a series of courses sponsored by the center in collaboration with the university’s school of business administration and the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). Terri (front row, second from right in photo) and Nora (second row, middle) were among 15 participants from 10 states who completed the three-day, intensive training program. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

MOWAA works with the Center for Leadership & Executive Development to provide customized educational and professional development opportunities. The goal of MOWAA’s initiative is to equip senior nutrition programs with the leadership and resources necessary to fulfill the mission of ending senior hunger.

The center regularly offers a series of continuing education courses presented by leading faculty. Certificates of leadership are offered in the five key areas of senior nutrition program operation: leadership; nutrition; development and fundraising; volunteer management; and communications.

“There is hunger in America not because of a lack of food but because of a lack of leadership,” said Enid Borden, MOWAA president and CEO. “The center will provide our members with the skills they need today, and help them sustain their programs into the future.”

Thanks to Our Garden Partners

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties hosted a luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to thank the partnering organizations who made the garden project at the Stark County Jail a reality this past summer.

The garden, which was planted and cultivated by inmates at the jail, produced 60 pounds of tomatoes, 400 pounds of zucchini, 300 pounds of squash and 60 pounds of peppers, as well as a sampling of radishes. All of the produce was used in salads and other dishes that were incorporated into the agency's menu.

The group toured the agency's commissary before lunch was served in the conference room.

Attending were: Maureen Austin and Rudy Moyer of the Ohio State University Extension Office in Massillon; Nick Kennedy of the Stark County Farm Bureau; Mark Henderson, Mike McDonald, Darin Baad, Dennis Snyder and Laura Stewart-Johnson of the Stark County Sheriff's Office; Bill Lilley of the Akron Beacon Journal; and Teresa Barry, Nora Logsdon and Tom Delamater of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

MOWSW at National Conference

Teresa Barry, CEO of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, and Nora Logsdon, program manager and dietitian, attended the national conference of the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) Sept. 1 through 4 in San Diego, Calif. Terri (left), who is also the current chairman of MOWAA, spoke to the assembled group on a number of occasions and chaired a meeting of the board during the conference.

Teri is shown below with MOWAA President & CEO Enid Borden as they present new charter certificates to Darlene Ike of Meals On Wheels of Chemung County, N.Y. (left photo) and Arnetta Macklin of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association of Memphis, Tennessee (right photo).

Garden Project at Jail Benefits Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

An innovative project at the Stark County Jail will result in an educational opportunity for inmates and a long-term benefit for the clients of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

Under the guidance of Master Gardener volunteers from the OSU Extension, Stark County office in Massillon and the Stark County Farm Bureau, non-violent inmates at the jail are planting a garden to grow vegetables such as beans, peppers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes and radishes. As the produce is harvested it will be delivered to Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties in Massillon, where it will be used in meals prepared for their clients.

"This program utilizes existing land and resources to benefit many people," said Maureen Austin, Ph.D., extension educator for agriculture and natural resources at OSU Extension, Stark County. "Trustees will grow the vegetables, and in the process more people will have a greater understanding of where food comes from. In particular, it will shine a light on Stark County agriculture, which is abundant."

Vegetables from the garden will become part of the meals served to Meals On Wheels clients. "We prepare our meals daily in our on-site commissary," said Nora Logsdon, program manager and dietician for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. "Fresh ingredients are essential to our dishes, and the harvest from the garden project will enable us to serve even more people."

The garden measures 30 feet by 90 feet and is located in a fenced area on the west side of the jail, which is located at 4500 Atlantic Boulevard N.E. in Canton. Up to five supervised inmates will work in the garden at any given time for up to two hours a shift, according to Captain Laura Stewart-Johnson of the Stark County Sheriff's Office.

"Our goal is to provide an education for the inmates and be able to give back to the community," said Stewart-Johnson. "The fact that it doesn't cost us or the taxpayers anything is a real plus.

"In addition to the support of the OSU Extension, Stark County office, financial assistance and equipment for the project are being provided by the Stark County Farm Bureau and Hartville Hardware.

"This is an exceptional use of people, land and natural resources," said Nick Kennedy, organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau for Columbiana, Portage, Stark and Summit counties. "It's a great example of the positive impact agriculture has on the community, and we're proud to support the program."

Saying 'Thanks' to Our Local Wal-Mart Friends

In March, Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties received a $10,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation and Meals On Wheels Association of America. The grant will be used to start a new catering business that will generate revenue for the agency. We plan to kick things off with an event in September.

To show our appreciation for Wal-Mart's support, we invited area store representatives to our office for lunch to explain the grant and the plans for our business. Five representatives from Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in the region joined Teresa Barry, CEO, Nora Logsdon, program manager and dietitian, and Tom Delamater, PR administrator, at a luncheon May 12 in our conference room.

Our guests were treated to a menu that included pepperoni chicken, beef braciole, twice-baked potatoes, pasta & vegetable pesto, asparagus tips with hollandaise sauce, glazed carrot fingers, spinach salad with bacon dressing, and assorted desserts and beverages. Sonny Sonnhalter, commissary manager, explained each of the dishes as examples of selections that might appear on the catering business's menu, which is still in the planning stages. Terri, Nora and Tom followed with an overview of the agency and additional long-range plans for the catering business. Afterward, Terri and Nora took the group on a tour of the commissary.

We're grateful for partners like Wal-Mart and Sam's Club and value our relationship with their local representatives in the region. We look forward to working together with them to further the goals and mission of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.