Opening Comments for Meals on Wheels Campaign

City of Riverside Fire and Police departments to deliver meals and safety information, raise funds for non-profit agency

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City of Riverside has partnered with Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc. to conduct a three-day “Protect and Serve Riverside’s Seniors” campaign that encourages community support for providing proper nutrition, safety information and other citywide resources to the city’s housebound senior citizens.

The program, which runs Thursday-Saturday, will be discussed at a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 14, in the breezeway outside Riverside City Hall, 3900 Main Street. Mayor Rusty Bailey, Riverside Meals on Wheels Executive Director Janice Bielman, and representatives of the Fire and Police departments will be on hand to discuss how community members can become involved.

“Our seniors are a community treasure, and they deserve our respect and gratitude for what they have done to build the city we all enjoy today,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “One of our most important responsibilities is ensuring they are safe. I’m proud to work with Meals on Wheels and our public safety agencies to promote programs that assist our seniors.”

The press conference kicks off a three-day effort by city employees to deliver meals, inspect smoke detectors, provide Police Department resource information, inform seniors of the “You Are Not Alone” (YANA) program, provide Get Home Safe bracelet information, and ensure that all seniors are using available resources from the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and other city services.

More than 125 residents will be assisted during the three-day effort, which is designed to raise money for Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc. and help keep Riverside’s large senior population safe, protected, and nourished so they can remain healthy in their homes.

Donations can be made at:www.riversidemealsonwheels.org/

“Our service is more than a meal. The real magic is in the connections between our volunteers and the seniors they serve,” said Janice Bielman, Executive Director of Riverside Meals on Wheels, Inc.  “Sometimes our Meals on Wheels volunteers are the only human connections our seniors experience. We are tackling not only the issue of senior hunger, but of senior isolation as well.”

Meals on Wheels (MOW) volunteers will drop off meals donated by local restaurants to 14 fire stations around the city, and firefighters will deliver them to residents identified by MOW. Meals also will be delivered by Riverside Police officers and representatives of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

“This event highlights the best of Riverside,” Mayor Pro Tem Chris MacArthur said. “It’s gratifying to see our business community donating meals to our seniors and our City employees stepping up to make the deliveries. Many thanks to everyone involved!”