FTC Regional Director Discusses 'Scam Safety' with Seniors at Mayfield Manor

Residents of Mayfield Manor, a senior housing complex in Canton that serves as one of our Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties nutrition sites, were among those in attendance this morning to hear a presentation about avoiding scams that target seniors.

Jon Miller Steiger (on left in the photo), regional director of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), presented information on how seniors can protect their money and avoid being victims of business scams.

"What I plan is to make you ambassadors," Steiger told the audience. "If I give you some tips and you give others some tips, then we can all benefit."

He said the FTC is "making sure that businesses are being truthful when they sell to you."

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) was scheduled to speak at the event but was unable to attend. Max Blachman (on right in above photo), Brown's Northeast Ohio representative, attended in the senator's place and introduced Steiger's presentation.

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties operates four delivery routes daily out of Mayfield Manor, which is located at 3844 11th St. S.W. in Canton. We also serve lunch at the site Monday through Friday as part of our congregate dining program.

A Car or Cash? That Could Be Your Choice If You Win Our 'Wheels for Meals' Car Raffle!

You? In a shiny new Ford Mustang convertible?

It could happen, if you're the winner of our "Wheels for Meals" car raffle, going on right now. Or you could just take the money!

Tickets are $75 apiece, and the winner could claim either a three-year lease on a 2013 Ford Mustang or $10,000 in cash. Click on the image above for complete details.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Winner must be 21 years of age, have a valid driver's license, insurance, and must qualify through Ford Motor Credit to claim the automobile lease. Drawing to be held on Nov. 9, 2012. Winner need not be present. A maximum of 500 tickets will be sold. If fewer than 250 tickets are sold, the raffle becomes a 50/50 drawing.

'The Main Event' Set For November, Will Raise Funds and Awareness for Meals On Wheels

Mark your calendar for Friday, Nov. 9 -- the night when Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties will introduce "The Main Event," our dinner/auction, at Glenmoor Country Club in Canton.

The theme for this year is "Give Hunger the Boot," complete with a Western-style menu and Western decor. We'll be partnering with Shared Blessings, a local organization that raises funds for a variety of charitable causes in the area, to raise money and awareness for our mission.

Tickets to the event are $100. There are a number of sponsorship opportunities that include tickets to the event.

In addition to the fundraising aspect of the event, we will also recognize three pioneers who were instrumental in forming what became Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties: Bill Belden, Stan Cmich and Jane Schirack.

This summer, as part of the event festivities, we are conducting a car raffle in conjunction with Waikem Auto Group. We'll raffle off the chance to win a three-year lease on a 2013 Ford Mustang. Click here for details.

For tickets or to become a sponsor, call us at 330-832-7220.

Meals On Wheels Volunteers Featured In United Way Publication Highlighting Volunteerism

Jerry and Mary Felland (left), volunteers for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, are featured in a newspaper insert in today's Canton Repository that promotes volunteerism in our community and highlights National Volunteer Week, which will take place April 15-21.

The 12-page tabloid publication, produced by United Way of Greater Stark County, highlights the benefits of volunteering, and promotes volunteerism by companies and organizations. Jerry and Mary, who serve out of our Brewster site, are featured in a "Volunteer Recognition Testimonial" profile.

"I volunteer because it's a way to help and give back to the community and it's something useful to do," the article quotes Jerry as saying. "I truly enjoy meeting and getting to know the people we serve. Meals On Wheels always needs more volunteers. I wish that more people would take an interest in volunteering for their community."

Mary also discusses the benefits of their service: "I absolutely love seeing the people and hearing the stories they have to tell. You really build a relationship with the people you serve here. Meals on Wheels is an excellent organization! It means so much more than just providing food to people in need. It is a means of checking up on the elderly and the disabled. For some of the clients, we are the only person they see throughout the day."

To read the full article, click on the photo to the right.

The publication was produced in conjunction with Volunteer Leaders in Action (VLIA), a professional organization that provides a platform of education, support and networking for volunteer leaders in the non-profit sector. Linda Spielman, volunteer coordinator for Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, is vice president of VLIA.

"Jerry and Mary are wonderful people, and are willing to help in any way they can," said Linda. "They truly exemplify the spirit of service that volunteering is all about."

Without our volunteers, we would not be able to serve the hundreds and hundreds of clients we do every day. If you or your company would like to join hands with us to help our homebound neighbors, just give Linda a call at 330-832-7220, or visit the Volunteer section of our website.

Welcome Our New CFO, Carla Frank

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties is pleased to announce the hiring of Carla Frank as the agency's chief financial officer.

Carla brings more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, working exclusively with non-profit and health care clients. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants. Before joining Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties, she was an assurance services manager with Bruner-Cox, LLP.

Carla is also active in the community. She volunteers as a board member of Quest Recovery & Prevention Services and with the Girl Scouts of America and is an active member of St. Mary Church and School in Massillon.

A graduate of Malone University, Carla lives in North Lawrence with her husband and their two daughters.

Area Mayors, Council Members Deliver on 'Mayors For Meals' Day

Nine area mayors and city council members joined forces with Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties this morning to deliver meals during the annual "Mayors For Meals" event.

"Mayors For Meals," sponsored by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is part of MOWAA's month-long "March For Meals" campaign, a national effort to heighten awareness about senior nutrition, senior hunger, and meal delivery programs across the country.

Joining us today, and delivering out of sites in their respective communities, were: Mayor Bob Breneman, Wooster; Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry, Massillon; Mayor Richard Currie, Hartville; Councilman James Griffin, Canton Ward 3; Mayor David Handwerk, Orrville; Mayor Bob Leach, Magnolia; Mayor Terry Lindeman, Doylestown; Mayor Mike Schwab, Brewster; and Councilwoman Christine Smith, Canton Ward 4.

Pictured in the top photo are Ted Herncane, community development director for the City of Massillon; Mayor Catazaro-Perry; and volunteers David Allen and Lloyd Porter, in the lobby of our administrative center in Massillon. In the lower photo, the mayor and volunteer Sharon Parker pause before beginning their delivery route.

We appreciate all of the mayors and council members for taking time out of their schedules to deliver meals and draw attention to the work of Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties.

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties Receives Walmart Foundation Grant

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties has been awarded a $3000 grant from the Walmart Foundation for our participation in the "We Are Meals On Wheels" public awareness campaign last fall.

"We Are Meals On Wheels" is the national slogan developed by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA), headquartered in Alexandria, Va. The marketing campaign and a variety of resources for member agencies were introduced at last year's MOWAA conference in Chicago.

Locally, we promoted the campaign via our social media pages, distribution of volunteer recruitment fliers, and airing of television promos on Canton City Schools Television and the City of Canton Televsion, both on Time Warner Cable in Canton.

"Your program has proven that it is a leader in this national campaign," said Enid Borden, MOWAA president and CEO. "Only with sustained awareness-building efforts will we be able to end senior hunger in America by 2020."