ElderCare, Inc/Friendship Meals announced today its participation in the 2015 March for Meals – a nationwide community-by-community celebration of the local Meals on Wheels programs that keep seniors independent in their own homes. ElderCare’s March for Meals events will include Community Champions Week, March 16-20. Throughout the 28 SW Kansas counties, 42 meal sites will recruit Community Champions to volunteer their time to deliver Meals On Wheels or serve lunch at the local meal center.  
“We are excited about our March For Meals campaign. We hope to raise awareness of senior hunger in our communities,” said Gaila Nielsen, Executive Director of ElderCare Inc/Friendship Meals. “In addition, we hope to generate public awareness of the meal service, increase meal participation and recruit new volunteers”.  
March for Meals is a national campaign held annually during the month of March, initiated and sponsored by the Meals On Wheels Association of America to raise awareness of the struggles faced by our aging neighbors and to encourage action on the part of local communities. Hundreds of Senior Nutrition Programs across the United States, like ElderCare/Friendship Meals, promote March for Meals through public events, partnerships with local businesses, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives.
“Our Meals on Wheels programs are on the front lines every day making sure that no senior is forgotten,” said Meals On Wheels Association of America President and CEO Ellie Hollander. “March for Meals is a time when communities can come together to stand with their local Meals on Wheels programs and ensure all seniors live a nourished lives with independence and dignity.”
For more information on March for Meals, visit www.marchformeals.com.
About ElderCare, Inc/Friendship Meals
Friendship Meals are available to anyone 60 years or older. Contributions for the meal are requested. Donations from meal participants are strictly voluntary and confidential. The meals are well-balanced, satisfying and nutritious.  The regular meals provide one third of the daily recommended nutrients for older adults. There are modified diets available.  In federal fiscal year 2014, ECI/FM served 356,000 meals to about 4000 eligible individuals.  
About Meals On Wheels Association of America
The Meals On Wheels Association of America empowers community programs to improve health and quality of life to ensure that no senior goes hungry. More than 5,000 local Meals on Wheels Programs leverage a dedicated army of two million volunteers who day-in and day-out create an efficient and caring way to help America’s seniors stay independent, healthy and able to live in their own homes. For more information, or to locate a local Meals on Wheels program, visit www.mowaa.org.