Our Friends From the Massillon Target Store Lend a Hand

Our thanks to volunteers from the local Target department store for volunteering with Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties last week.

Seven Target associates delivered meals on Friday, Aug. 19. They arrived early to learn the details of our delivery process, then delivered meals to clients on three of the routes from our administrative office building in Massillon.

We appreciate the help and look forward to working more with Target in the future. It's great to know we can count on local businesses to help make a difference in the lives of our homebound friends and neighbors!

Watch Our Video Review of the Meals On Wheels Fun Fest; Make Plans to Be a Part of Our 2012 Event!

In June, Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties was host to our inaugural Fun Fest Challenge. It took place at Sluggers & Putters in Canal Fulton and was sponsored by Avalon Foodservice.

We've put together a brief video retrospective of some of the sights and activities of the day, which began with a corporate challenge competition in the morning and continued when the park was open to the public in the afternoon. Along the way, we enjoyed our Volunteer Appreciation activities under the park pavilion.

The event featured 15 corporate teams and more than 700 people who passed through the gates in the afternoon to enjoy the park's many rides and attractions. We're already planning next year's event, scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2012.

Corporate sponsors make the event possible, and we're already rounding up sponsors for 2012. Many sponsorships include team entries in the fun-filled corporate challenge events, and we expect many of this year's teams to return next summer. If you're interested in a corporate sponsorship, please call us at 330-832-7220. (UPDATE March 2012: Due to scheduling conflicts with park management, the 2012 Fun Fest has been cancelled.)

To view the video, follow this link to our YouTube channel.

More Coverage of the Meals On Wheels Fun Fest, From The Suburbanite in Jackson Township

With the memory of our highly successful Meals On Wheels Fun Fest still vivid in our minds, we were reminded once again of the wonderful support from the community when The Suburbanite ran a story summarizing the event in this week's Jackson Township edition.

Staff writer Emily Gaffney attended the Fun Fest and interviewed several key individuals involved in the event, including: Teresa Barry, Meals On Wheels CEO; Rick Mirenzi, co-host of The Akron-Canton Connection on WHBC radio; Ted Watko, human resources director at Diebold, Inc., one of the key sponsors; and Tom Delamater, PR administrator at Meals On Wheels.

The Meals On Wheels Fun Fest took place on Saturday, June 25 at Sluggers & Putters family fun park in Canal Fulton. Fifteen corporate teams participated in morning challenge events, and more than 700 people packed the park in the afternoon, all to raise money for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

To read Emily's story, follow this link to the Suburbanite's web site.

The Power of One - A Powerful Difference for Our Homebound Neighbors in Need

We've all heard about "The Power of One" -- how one individual can make a difference in the lives of others. That's especially true at Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

However, there's more to The Power of One than just one individual -- because if you can spare just one hour a week...and one gallon of gas...just one day a week...then you can make a difference in the lives of homebound people who are nutritionally at risk.

The people we speak of are your neighbors, and friends. People whose life circumstances have left them at risk for hunger and, in some cases, neglect -- unless someone steps in to fill the void.

Will that be you? You can brighten someone's day by volunteering with Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties. We deliver meals Monday through Friday, right in your neighborhood. Think about it -- delivering meals and a smile to people who aren't able to provide for themselves. Making a difference, close to home.

We'll train you, and we offer mileage reimbursement to make your travels easier. Call 330-832-7220 for more information or to volunteer -- or go to our website at http://www.mow-starkwayne.org/.

The Power of One can make a powerful difference for a neighbor in need. Can we count on you to help fill the void?


(Want to help spread the word? Print the flier below and distribute it to others. Volunteers are needed at most of our 21 sites in Stark and Wayne counties.)

The Fishers Community Rewards Program Is Back - Register Your Card Today to Help Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties!

Our friends and neighbors can once again support Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties by using your Fishers Rewards Card every time you shop at any of the seven Fishers Foods locations in Stark County.

The new Fishers Community Rewards program starts on Monday, Aug. 1 and runs through Tuesday, Nov. 1. All you have to do is designate Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties as your charity of choice, and every time you use your Rewards Card at Fishers, 1% of your purchase will be donated back to Meals On Wheels.

You'll need to designate us as your preferred charity first -- even if you did so during the last promotional period (Jan-April this year). You can do it online at this Community Rewards web link, or by phone at 1-888-866-9186. If you don't have a Rewards Card, you can apply for one online at the Fishers web site.

There is no cost to you for designating Meals On Wheels as your preferred charity, and doing so will not affect the Rewards Points you earn by shopping at Fishers.

Important: We'll need at least 50 cardholders to designate us as their preferred charity in order for the program to generate funds for Meals On Wheels, so please register now and encourage other loyal Fishers shoppers to do the same.

Here are the Fishers locations in Stark County:

• Corner of Fulton Drive and Frank Ave., Jackson Township
• Corner of Cleveland Ave. & 44th St. NW, Plain Township
• N. Cleveland Ave. (N. of Applegrove), North Canton
• Cherry Ave. north of 12th St. in Canton
• Harrison Ave., just north of Rt. 30, in Canton
• West Tuscarawas in Perry Township (near Canton Centre Mall)
• Lincoln Way E. in Massillon

Register your card today on behalf of Meals On Wheels of Stark County, and keep shopping at Fishers!

Roast Beef Au Jus, Hawaiian Chicken Salad and More; Here's Our August Menu

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties has released the August menu, and there are more mouth-watering entrees featured. There's something for everyone, from pancakes and syrup on Aug. 1, all the way to Salisbury Steak on Aug. 31. In between, lots of delicious, nutritious meals!

For information on receiving home-delivered meals, call 330-832-7220. To see a larger version of the menu, just click on the image below.

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.