LOA News

& Notes

July 2024

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Helping Older Persons Remain Independent for as Long as Possible.

The Let's Give Lunch Raffle is open for bids until July 8!

Support Meals on Wheels and win big: For just $1, you can bid on our raffle fundraiser in support of Meals on Wheels!

Check out these amazing prizes up for grabs:

Buy raffle tickets

Photos of raffle prizes

From gift baskets to experiences, there's something for everyone. Place your bids by July 8th for your chance to win!

LOA at First Fridays July 12, Salem After Five Aug 2

We're looking for volunteers to help LOA at two upcoming events. If you're interested in having fun and helping LOA at the same time, contact Rex Saoit by clicking the button below to volunteer!

LOA will be one of the benefitting charities at the Friday, July 12, First Fridays in downtown Roanoke.

Volunteers will give wrist bands at the entrance, sell tickets, sell drink tickets, and serve beer.

At the Friday, August 2, Salem After 5, LOA needs volunteers to help at the ID check station, sell beer tickets, serve beer, and monitor the children's area.

Volunteer for First Fridays or Salem After 5

Retirement of Norma McCroskey

Norma McCroskey, LOA’s Vice President of Operations and COO, has retired after 35 years of service! One of Norma's first accomplishments was the creation of LOA's Case Management Program, and she has continued to be an instrumental part of the program to this day. She also started LOA’s weekly Nutrition Screening meetings, where LOA staff review Meals on Wheels and Diners Club clients.

She has been a dedicated part of our service area’s Long Term Care Committee. Her historical knowledge has been vital to maintain LOA’s in-service standard delivery compliance and will be greatly missed. In 2016, she became Vice President and COO and has been in charge of Human Resources. She has always been an advocate and mentor for those she supervises and our clients. She is a quiet leader and many things she has accomplished have been behind the scenes without a lot of fanfare. President and CEO Ron Boyd said, “Norma has been a trusted advisor to me in our 35 years together, and a cornerstone for LOA’s continuing evolution during those three plus decades.” LOA staff gathered along with her sister at a celebratory lunch in her honor. We will miss you so much, Norma. Thank you for your dedication to LOA!

Thank you for joining us for Let's GIVE Lunch!

LOA sold 1,542 boxed lunches to raise funds for Meals on Wheels and Nutrition Services!

Thank you to everyone who bought a boxed lunch, donated, purchased raffle tickets, or volunteered for Let’s Give Lunch 2024! On Friday, June 21, we sold 1,542 boxed lunches which will fund more than 3,000 nutritious Meals on Wheels! We are especially grateful to the following generous sponsors, patrons, and supporters:

AccessU

Vinton Moose Lodge #1121

Southern Team Auto Mall

WestRock

Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer Gives

Associated Asphalt

D. Elliott Bayer

Carilion Clinic

Raymond G. Cobb

Delta Dental of Virginia

Feeding Southwest Virginia

Stewart Floyd

Friendship Independent Living

North Roanoke Baptist Church

P1 Technologies - celebrating their 75th Anniversary

Packaging Corporation of American

Glenn Pierce

Pinnacle Financial Partners

Berkeley Riley Jr.

Curry Copy Center

Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office

Celebrating Seniors Health Fair a Success

Thank you to all of the seniors who attended LOA's Celebrating Seniors Health Fair on June 7 at Elmwood Park. It was a beautiful day, and attendees enjoyed these free activities:

Balance screenings by physical therapists
Blood pressure checks
Chair massages
Chair Yoga led by Radford University’s Department of Public Health and Healthcare Leadership
Cornhole tournament with prizes, sponsored by AARP Virginia
Live music from the ’50s and ’60s by the band "40 Years After"
Vaccinations from New Horizons Healthcare
Farm Market Fresh: LOA’s program for fresh produce for low- to moderate-income seniors
Food truck by Dale’s Diner with Kenny burgers and more
Ice cream treats for FREE from Freedom First’s Scoop Ice Cream Truck
More than 30 healthy aging vendors and services

Our sincere thanks go to our partners and vendors who participated and made the event so successful.

Farm Market Fresh for Seniors

Do you enjoy fresh produce from the local farmer’s market? LOA has a program that will give you access to FREE fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets. Seniors aged 60 and older who are low to moderate income are eligible to apply to Farm Market Fresh. Qualified seniors will receive $50 worth of vouchers to buy fresh produce at participating local farmers’ markets this summer.

Seniors, stop by the LOA booth to sign up at one of these upcoming farmers markets:

Saturday, July 13, 8am-12pm at Grandin Village Farmers Market, 1320 Grandin Rd SW, Roanoke, VA
Saturday, July 20, 8am-12pm at Grandin Village Farmers Market, 1320 Grandin Rd SW, Roanoke, VA
Tuesday, July 30, 3pm-6pm at West End Farmers Market,1027 Patterson Ave SW, Roanoke, VA

Or you can apply online by clicking the button below. Call LOA at (540) 345-0451 if you have any questions.

Apply to Farm Market Fresh

Volunteer Spotlight: Delta Dental of Virginia

Let's Give Lunch, our annual fundraiser for Meals on Wheels and Nutrition Services, relies on the hands and hearts of hundreds of volunteers. This year, LOA was fortunate to have a wonderful team of volunteers from Delta Dental of Virginia!

Brandi Dawson brought a group of 10 employees from Delta Dental to help LOA put together the lunch items into boxes. The team worked hard on our assembly lines, and thanks to their help, we were finished in a jiffy with more than a thousand meals prepped and ready! After working in the assembly line, they promptly went through the drive-thru pick up line to get the 50+ meals they ordered! Delta Dental's enthusiasm, speed, and elbow grease helped our 2024 Let's Give Lunch run seamlessly. Their support knows no bounds. Thank you so much for volunteering your time and efforts to help Meals on Wheels and Nutrition Services!

Volunteer with us

Gifts and Grants update

Recently the LOA was excited to be awarded generous gifts and grants from the following:

D. Elliott Bayer
Raymond G. Cobb
Diane Goode
Sandra Henson
Erica Jones
Meals on Wheels America
Ann Miller
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Berkeley Riley Jr.

Thank you to everyone who made a gift or donated items to LOA recently!

> Donate items to the emergency food pantry/toiletries

Thank you to the employees of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer commercial real estate group in Roanoke, who selected LOA as their charity for their Friday Jeans donation program! Employees can wear jeans on Fridays when they make a donation to the charity, and the corporate office in Richmond matched the funds, totaling $1,195 for LOA's Let's Give Lunch!