Photos
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Pictured left to right, Summit Police Chief Robert Weck and SAGE Eldercare volunteer Joanne Butler of New Providence, set out to deliver meals to senior residents on Wednesday, March 6.
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Pictured left to right, NJ State Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr. and SAGE Eldercare volunteer Natalie Cahoon of Berkeley Heights, set out to deliver meals to senior residents on Thursday, March 7.
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Some of SAGE Eldercare’s Meals On Wheels volunteers are pictured with New Providence Administrator Doug Marvin on Tuesday, March 12 before he delivered meals to local seniors. Pictured left to right, Terri DeSantis of Springfield, Natalie Cahoon of Berkeley Heights, Kitty Hartman of New Providence, New Providence Administrator Marvin, Lou Ruggiero of Mountainside and Daniel Talarsky of Springfield.
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SAGE Eldercare, which serves nearly 250 people through its Meals On Wheels deliveries to older adults, is participating again this year in the national “March For Meals” and “Mayors For Meals” campaign. In 2012, approximately 600 volunteers delivered 36,000 meals to 250 clients in Union, Essex and Morris Counties.
Meals Delivered with a Friendly Smile
Friday, March 15, 2013 • 11:39am
Every year in March, the kitchen at SAGE Eldercare in Summit is a whirlwind of activity as volunteers, local officials, police and fire chiefs, and town administrators, gather to deliver meals to seniors in surrounding communities.This partnership, which occurs almost every week day during March, is part of the Meals On Wheels Association of America’s annual campaign, “March For Meals” and “Mayors For Meals,” which is Wednesday, March 20.The program is intended to give community representative an opportunity to meet seniors residing in their towns that rely on the meals and daily visit for support.
SAGE’s MOW program, which was established in 1966, is the oldest program in New Jersey. People who are frail, homebound or disabled are eligible for the service. This includes those who are recuperating from an illness, those who are mentally or physically impaired, those without family or friends to shop for them, or those requiring a special diet. There are no financial restrictions.
For many homebound seniors, the friendly visit from a MOW volunteer may be the only contact they have with someone that day. About fifteen times a year, SAGE has to turn to the police to do welfare checks on clients who don’t respond, and about five times a year, a SAGE MOW volunteer calls 911 when finding a client in need of immediate medical assistance. After Superstorm Sandy, volunteers found a number of people were using their stove tops and ovens for heat after they had lost power. Local fire departments were quick to respond.
In 2012, approximately 600 SAGE volunteers delivered 36,000 meals to 250 clients in Union County (Berkeley Heights, Mountainside, New Providence, Springfield and Summit), Essex County (Millburn and Short Hills) and Morris County (Chatham and Madison). Each weekday, 20-30 volunteers are assigned 14 routes and drive a total of about 200 miles to deliver approximately 150 meals to 120 clients in the three counties.
SAGE delivers meals Monday through Friday and the delivery can be scheduled for short-term needs or for an indefinite period. Currently, people who need weekend meals receive them on Fridays. For more information about the MOW program, to volunteer to deliver meals, or if you know someone who could benefit from the service, please call 908.273.5554, email contact us@sageeldercare.org or visit www.sageeldercare.org.
SAGE Eldercare’s motto, “Let our family take care of you” speaks to the heart of its mission, which is to support the independence, well-being and quality of life of older adults, their families and caregivers. Incorporated in 1954, SAGE Eldercare is a private, nonprofit organization concerned with the health and general welfare of older citizens and their families. The agency presently offers fourteen client-centered health, social and support services and programs which serve more than 7,000 people annually in Essex, Morris, Somerset and Union Counties and beyond. To learn more, call 908.273.5550, email contactus@sageeldercare.org or visit www.sageeldercare.org.
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