UNION COUNTY, NJ — Sage Eldercare will be participating in the national 2016 “March For Meals” campaign, organized by Meals on Wheels America for the 14th consecutive year. March For Meals is a national campaign held annually during the month of March, initiated and sponsored by Meals on Wheels America to raise awareness of the struggles faced by our aging neighbors and to encourage action on the part of local communities.
In addition to local elected officials, police and fire chiefs, and town administrators, Sage Eldercare is encouraging local civic groups, business owners, and religious leaders to spend an hour and a half of their time to deliver meals to local seniors.
Marianne Kranz, SAGE Eldercare director of volunteers and support services, emphasizes that approximately 15 times per year, the organization has to turn to the police to do welfare checks on clients who don’t respond, and about five times a year, a SAGE volunteers needs to call 9-1-1 because they have found a client in need of immediate professional or medical assistance.
“Without the support of local, county, and state officials, we cannot do our job of making sure these residents receive a warm meal and friendly visit, which is often the only human contact they have for the entire day,” Kranz said.
Sage’s Meals on Wheels, established in 1966 and celebrating its 50th anniversary, is the oldest program in New Jersey. In 2015 volunteers delivered more than 44,000 meals to more than 230 people in Union, Essex and Morris counties.
For more information about the Meals on Wheels program, contact Marianne Kranz at 908-273-5554 or email [email protected]. For more information about SAGE Eldercare, call 908-273-5550 or visit www.sageeldercare.org.