SENIOR MOMENTS
brought to you by
Meals on Wheels and
Senior Outreach
Services

925-937-8311
www.mowsos.org
IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome New Volunteers
Words We Live By
MOWSOS is Hiring
Media
Tributes and Memorials
AmazonSmile
Leave A Legacy
Upcoming Events
Awards and Recognition
MOWSOS Anniversary Gala
March for Meals
Fall Prevention
A Habit of Giving
Healthy Bites
About Town
WELCOME NEW VOLUNTEERS

Meals on Wheels
Rosemary Durant
Anya Farrell
Steve Hansen
Sherry Hartman
Andrew Jones
Geoffrey Legear
Jeff Milliman
NamsonHawk Oh
James Truitner

C.C. Cafe
Mattie Mercado
Rheta Davis
Revelia Nobriga

Friendly Visitors
Adriana Villescaz
Stacey Lucchesi
Barbara Greening
Maria Oseguera

Administration
Lynette Felton

Special Projects
Denise Rue

WORDS WE
LIVE BY

"Besides the food, I truly enjoy the people that bring it over.  I wouldn't have lunch without the help.

  It would be hard to get along without Meals on Wheels.  "

Meals on Wheels Client, 
Concord
MOWSOS IS HIRING!

MEDIA

East Bay Times
Good Neighbors by Faith Barnidge: Walnut Creek Rotary Distributes Grants
 
Good Neighbors by Faith Barnidge: Corporate Volunteer Leaders

Ep 018: Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services

Meals on Wheels Senior Outreach Celebrating 50 Years

MOWSOS March for Meals and Gala PSA
TRIBUTES AND  MEMORIALS 
 

Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services (MOWSOS) recently received donations in honor of:
 
Stephanie Chamberlin,
Jim and Freda Kohl
Oscar Lottman

MOWSOS recently received donations in memory of these individuals. 
Our deepest condolences to the families and friends of:

Walter Connolly
Rudolph Cisar
Shawn Morrissey
Virginia Opena Swezey 
AmazonSmile


When completing your shopping on Amazon, use Amazon Smile and pick Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services as your charity of choice. Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to our organization.

Make your purchases count, visit smile.amazon.com!

LEAVE A LEGACY

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are eligible to receive bequests.

Please contact Erica Marcus at emarcus@mowsos.org
or 925-937-8315.
 
UPCOMING EVENTS

MOWSOS
50th Anniversary Gala
Saturday, May 12
6:00pm - 10:00pm
Blackhawk Museums,
Danville

Friday, March 23
11:00am - 12:30pm
Todos Santos Plaza, Concord 

Mondays 
11:00am - 12:00pm
Wednesdays
2:00pm - 3:00pm
San Pablo
~
Tuesdays
10:00am - 11:00am
Brentwood


Tuesdays, March 13- 29
1:00pm  - 2:00pm
Casa Del Rio Senior Housing, Antioch

Eat Smart, Live Strong
Wednesday, March 21 Wednesday, March 28
1:00pm - 2:00pm
San Pablo Senior Center

Wednesday, March 21
10:00am - 1:00pm
San Pablo Community Center, San Pablo

(To benefit MOWSOS)
Saturday, March 17 
12:00pm - 2:00pm
3100 Contra Loma Blvd. 
Ste 3150, Antioch

Saturday, March 24
8:45am - 4:00pm
Black Diamond High School,
Pittsburg

Monday, March 26
8:30am  - 2:00pm
Pleasant Hill Community Center

  Rotary Home Team 
Home Maintenance Program
for older adults in Contra Costa County
Saturday, March 31
To schedule an appointment, call 
(888) 204-5573
one week in advance
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION


 
If you have suggestions for our newsletter or would like to contribute a quote, photo, or story, please contact:

Susannah Meyer

Community Engagement Director

Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services

925-937-8311 x104

smeyer@mowsos.org

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

1300 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

925-937-8311
mowsos.org

Issue 6, Volume 3
March 2018
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"Hey, hey, ho, ho, senior hunger must go!" These are chants we heard from young people last year as they involved themselves in grass roots advocacy during March for Meals. Together we marched in downtown Walnut Creek. This year a new group of young people will march in Concord.   Young and old together, supporting each other. 

MOWSOS is actively engaged in coalition building - locally, regionally, and nationally. We must create a large tent of many voices if we are to create impact. The C4A has bipartisan support for $17 million budget increase for home delivered meals. The request, if adopted, will purchase an additional 2 million meals, feeding 12,500 seniors for a year. Your voice is needed. Let your state officials know that no one should go hungry - especially our grandparents.

Visit nanasp.org/take-action and urge Congress to fund Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Programs. Take a lesson from the young people marching and chanting - and making a difference. 


Sincerely,
 
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MOWSOS 50th Anniversary Gala
Golden ticket promotion ends on Monday, March 19! Get your tickets today at  mowsos.org/events/gala



















March for Meals
March with MOWSOS

Join students from Queen of All Saints School in Concord, local seniors, and community leaders as we #MarchForMeals in downtown Concord on Friday, March 23!

MOWSOS takes part in the national March For Meals campaign to bring attention to senior hunger and isolation. We raise awareness of our efforts to empower seniors through nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks - because no senior should be forgotten.


Click here for more information about March for Meals

To learn more about the March for Meals campaign, contact Susannah Meyer, Community Engagement Director, at (925)239-2487 or  smeyer@mowsos.org. 

Fall Prevention 
CSU East Bay Community Nursing

Over the past 6 years, MOWSOS has partnered with Cal State University East Bay Nursing program (CSUEB) to bring balance exercises to seniors in the comfort of their own homes though the Fall Prevention Program.

The program provides a unique opportunity for students to support seniors through professionally designed exercise programs and home care. This partnership is a life-changing experience for our clients and student nurses who see firsthand how they can influence someone's health through socialization and physical activity. 

During these visits, students discover seniors' unmet needs in the areas of nutrition, finance, transportation, exercise and the ability to socialize with others. They provide medication reconciliation and problem-solve many health concerns including nutritional gaps, follow-up medical care and other social needs. Through this program, students are able to connect their clients with the resources they need to live healthy and independent lifestyles.

The partnership with MOWSOS continues to result in many beneficial outcomes for both the client and the community. One student working with a diabetic client was able to reduce their client's blood sugar by simply asking him to try a diet soda alternative. This small intervention reduced his blood sugar from 300 mg/dl to a range between 70 -130 mg/dl and gave him better awareness of his daily health choices.

This is just one story of many that we have heard over the years.  Clients improve their balance, experience decreased loneliness, learn ways to make their homes safer and change unhealthy behaviors.  Thank you to CSU East Bay Community Health Nursing students for going above and beyond in making a difference in our seniors' lives.

For more information about the Fall Prevention Program, please contact Alayne Balke, Fall Prevention Program Manager and Master Trainer for A Matter of Balance, at (925) 891-4761 or abalke@mowsos.org .

A Habit of Giving
Donor Spotlight: Mylene

Mylene has been donating to Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services for many years. She recently shared with us how she learned about the program and why she supports it. 

"When I was in college, I was able to witness first-hand the impact that Meals on Wheels programs have on people's lives." 

Coming of age in the suburbs of Chicago, Mylene knew that she wanted to make a difference in people's lives. She enrolled in a nursing school in a rural part of central Illinois. 

One of the most valuable parts of her training was the home visits she made to seniors.  Many of the seniors she visited were isolated, living near great swaths of farmland. The nearest neighbor they had was often a couple of miles away.

"I have always been curious about the choices people make in their lives and the roads they have travelled. They had such great stories."

Mylene and her fellow nurses in training were not the only people who visited these seniors. "I was always moved by the stories the seniors told me about the Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers who brought them food." 

"But it became clear to me that it was so much more than a meal that was delivered," Mylene explained. "As nurses, we tracked the impact that the regular meal delivery made. The seniors' general health really improved. Yet I have always felt that the regular human contact that the Meals on Wheels volunteers and staff had with the seniors was just as important as the nutrition."
   
 
Contact Erica Marcus, Donor Relations Manager, at (925) 937-8315 or  emarcus@mowsos.org about other ways to help.

Healthy Bites
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National Nutrition Month

This year's theme for National Nutrition Month is "Go Further with Food!" It encourages people to achieve the numerous benefits healthy eating habits offer, but it also urges us to find ways to cut back on food waste - saving both nutrients and money. Check out some fun ways to make healthier eating a part of your daily lives. 


 Click here for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics article, "Eating Right for Older Adults"

Click here  for a fun word search from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

 About Town

On March 8th, the MOWSOS staff kicked off our March For Meals Campaign with a 92.1 KKDV Ultimate Coffee Break. Special thanks to Lia Bristol, Deputy Chief of Staff for District Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, and Firefighters from Contra Costa County Fire and Rescue, Station One for joining in on the fun!

Click here to watch our segment with 92.1 KKDV! We chatted about#MarchforMeals, #InternationalWomensDay, and our 50th Anniversary Gala! 
From left to right, Spectrum Community Services' Lara Calvert and Victoria Cristobal, Bill Clark, MOWSOS CEO, Elaine Clark, and MOWSF's Anne Quintance attending March for Meals Advocacy Day in Sacramento.
MOWSOS Bay Point Cafe Site Manager, Evelyn Baclig and  Zumba Seniors are excited and thankful for Black Diamond Electric for funding their Zumba classes.
MOWSOS Health and Wellness Division Manager, Cynthia Black shares the importance of Tai Chi for seniors with students from Queen of All Saints School in Concord.
MOWSOS Communication Specialist, Maricel Kinsella, left and MOWSOS Community Engagement Director, Susannah Meyer join KKDV to record a PSA for March For Meals.

From left to right, MOWSOS Community Engagement Director, Susannah Meyer,  An Elderly Wish Foundation's Mary Champman, MOWSOS Nutrition Services Division Manager, Sharon Fitzgerald, and MOWSOS Program Manager Nancy Raniere celebrate each others' nonprofits at the Heart to Heart Ball.
From left to right, MOWSOS CEO Elaine Clark, Mike and Mike Media's, Mike Burkholder and Michael Pohl, and MOWSOS Community Engagement Director, Susannah Meyer at a taping for East County Today!

Click here to watch the full interview.
MOWSOS Nutrition Services Division Manager, Sharon Fitzgerald, left and MOWSOS Communications Specialist, Maricel Kinsella, man the booth at the Contra Costa County Health Expo.
Great music and great dance moves filled the C.C.Pittsburg Senior Center on February 14th for a fun Valentine's Day themed event! Complete with a DJ and photo booth for all the seniors to enjoy.