WKYC-Ch. 3 Airs Story On Pet Food, Royal Canin Donation

Amanda Barren's report on our pet food program and the Royal Canin donation aired this morning on "Channel 3 News Today," the morning news program of WKYC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Cleveland.

Amanda interviewed CEO Teresa Barry, along with client Wilma Dillon and volunteer David Cottrill.

You can access the web story and the video at the WKYC website.

WKYC-Ch. 3 Visits to Prep for Story On Pet Food Drive

Amanda Barren, a news correspondent for NBC affiliate WKYC-Ch. 3 in Cleveland, visited Massillon on Jan. 22 to conduct interviews and videotape footage for a report on this year's record-setting pet food drive at Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

Amanda took interest in the story following Royal Canin's recent donation of 36 pallets of dog food, which, together with cat food that has been purchased with a grant from the Doris Day Animal Foundation, will enable us to provide food for our clients' pets throughout 2011.

Amanda interviewed CEO Teresa Barry, along with one of our clients and David Cottrill, a volunteer who delivers meals every Friday out of our Massillon facility.

This is the third time in less than a year that a WKYC news crew has visited Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties to produce a report for their newscasts. Previous stories featured the garden project at the Stark County jail, and the effect that retirees from the baby boom generation will have on health care and entitlement programs over the next 20 years.

Amanda's report on the pet food drive is scheduled to appear Wednesday, Jan. 26 (note: that's an updated schedule) on Channel 3 News Today, which airs daily from 5 to 7 a.m.

WKYC News Report on Jail Garden Project

The jail garden feature by WKYC-TV reporter Amanda Barren appeared on Friday night's news on the Cleveland station. Barren spent about 90 minutes at the jail that morning and completed several interviews with people who had been involved with the project.

A link to the story on the WKYC website can be accessed here. The site includes a link to the video feature that appeared on the news.

Jail Garden Project on Cleveland TV News

The Garden Project at the Stark County Jail continues to draw media interest. Now in its second year, the garden was scheduled to be featured on the 6 p.m. newscast on WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland on Friday, August 13.

Reporter Amanda Barren visited the jail on Friday morning and interviewed a number of individuals who have been involved with the project, including:

• Teresa Barry, CEO, Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties
• Nick Kennedy of the Stark Farm Bureau
• Maureen Austin of the OSU Extension Stark County
• Rudy Moyer, Master Gardener Volunteer with the OSU Extension Stark County
• Mark Henderson of the Stark County Sheriff's Department

She also spoke to one of the inmates, and videotaped inmates and jail personnel harvesting vegetables and loading them onto the Meals On Wheels truck.

Afterward, Rudy (pictured at right with some of the inmates) said the project continues to produce impressive results. "I really believe in the project," he said, "and in working with the inmates. We could involve even more in the future. There's tremendous potential there, but you've got to start small and grow."

He said the quality of the produce is second to none. "It's all natural. There are no herbicides, no pesticides, no insecticides. So you don't have to worry about something being on the food that could harm you at some point, whether it's now or thirty years from now."

About 100 more pounds of food was bagged and delivered to Meals On Wheels after the videotaping sessions were finished Friday morning.