SENIOR SERVICES OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA JOINS IN MONTH-LONG MARCH FOR MEALS CELEBRATION WITH COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE

SUPPORT WILL HELP TO FIGHT SENIOR HUNGER AND ISOLATION IN SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS AND WESTERN TIDEWATER

Norfolk, VA 3/1/2023 – Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia (Senior Services) announced today that it will be participating in the 21st annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of our older adult neighbors who rely on Meals on Wheels to remain healthy and independent. Senior Services’ celebration will include an online fundraising campaign for home-delivered meals throughout the month of March.

“The rising cost of utilities, lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of food have had a devastating effect on older adults in our community,” said Steve Zollos, Chief Executive Officer for Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia. “Many seniors who only a year ago were on firm financial footing, find themselves living from month-to-month and wondering how they will get by. Meals on Wheels provides essential food security to our home-bound older adults in need.”

In 2022, Senior Services served over 516,000 meals to over 900 clients in South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater.

The annual March for Meals celebration commemorates the historic day in March of 1972 when President Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older. This critical support and federal funding has fueled the growth of the Meals on Wheels network for more than 50 years.

During the month, community-based Meals on Wheels programs from across the country will join forces for the annual awareness campaign to celebrate this successful public-private partnership and garner the resources needed to reach every senior in need of a nutritious meal, friendly visit and safety check.

“March is an important time for us to come together to ensure that Meals on Wheels is there for all of our senior neighbors in need,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “The demand for services is already great and approximately 12,000 Americans are turning 60 every day. We must maintain and expand the programs that have helped so many get through this unprecedented time in our nation’s history. We can’t do it alone. It takes all of us to keep the nationwide Meals on Wheels movement going.”

Donate to Home-delivered Meals

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For fifty years, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia has been supporting and enriching the lives of older adults in South Hampton Roads and Western Tidewater through advocacy, education, information, and comprehensive services. The nonprofit has impacted tens of thousands of lives for the better, by providing easy access to high-quality programs and services designed to help older adults remain healthy, active, and engaged. To learn more about Senior Services, call 757-461-9481 or visit www.ssseva.org.
About Coastal Ride: Several taxicab services in Hampton Roads rebranded themselves to Coastal Ride. All companies with the new brand have a state-of-the-art dispatch system, app, driver training, and quality vehicle maintenance program. Coastal Ride furnishes service from Virginia Beach to Newport News providing 10’s of thousands of passenger transportation every month. Coastal Ride strives to be the Transportation you can Trust. To learn more about Coastal Ride, please visit coastalride.com.