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LESS THAN TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE AD COUNCIL
CAMPAIGN LAUNCH!

  MAKE SURE YOU’RE READY TO TAKE OFF WITH IT!

Tuesday, July 12 is the official launch of the Meals on Wheels Ad Council campaign across the nation – the date that our collective voice gets raised to new levels in support of our volunteer recruitment message. The hope is that this campaign will inspire a whole new generation to step up and volunteer, and we’ve got a ton of tools and resources to help you bring the messages to life in your own community.

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HERE ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO PREPARE:

    1. VISIT THE AD COUNCIL READINESS CENTER – Get your program ready to receive the new volunteers that will be coming your way by leveraging the resources in the Ad Council Readiness Center. Learn how you can create a unified voice, sharpen your volunteer onboarding processes and get the systems in place to convert this new wave of volunteer prospects into dedicated volunteers for your program.
    2. PLAN YOUR LAUNCH ACTIVITIES – Get ready to ride the wave of the national launch PR activities by accessing tools and resources that will allow you to customize the campaign for your own program and community. Members can access the log-in information to the Campaign Hub here.
    3. SIGN UP NOW FOR A HOW-TO WEBINAR ON ENGAGING YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY – On Thursday, June 30, we and the Ad Council will walk you through the steps that will get you ready for your own launch through this Members-only preparation webinar. Sign up now to ensure your space in what’s destined to be a high-demand event.

    REGISTER NOW

    As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if we can help you to get ready at adcouncil@mealsonwheelsamerica.org. It’s right around the corner and we want to make sure your community fully leverages this powerful opportunity.

OUR BEST MARCH FOR MEALS YET THANKS TO YOU!

This month, we were happy to recognize all of the Member organizations that took a stand to celebrate the seniors in their community through our 14th annual March for Meals. We saw some of the most creative and engaging local volunteer opportunities, advocacy efforts and fundraisers.

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2016 MARCH FOR MEALS SUCCESS IN NUMBERS:

 
 344 Celebrations from Coast to Coast
2,904 Community Champions Enlisted
$2,517,377 Raised
3,626 Volunteers Recruited

 
Nearly $400,000 was awarded to a total of 265 Members and one State Association thanks to the generosity of Subaru of America, Inc. and its eighth annual Share the Love Event. While identifying the top grantee winners was nothing short of a tough decision, we’re happy to congratulate Grand River Meals On Wheels in Rifle, Colorado for receiving the top award of $10,000 for its extensive awareness and fundraising activities.

“This year marked our 10th March for Meals celebration and our 40th year serving the seniors of New Castle, Silt, Rifle, and Parachute/Battlement Mesa, Colorado,” said Kaaren Peck, Director of Grand River Meals on Wheels. “Thank you to Meals on Wheels America for making this level of success achievable for even the smallest and most rural of Meals on Wheels programs. This support will help us enable independence for some of the most vulnerable, yet remarkable, members of our community: our seniors!”

 
Congratulations to all of those who participated in this year’s March for Meals. Find a full list of 2016 grantees here.

2016 CONFERENCE: LAST CHANCE FOR EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION PRICING

Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander is getting warmed up for Nashville and so should you! Watch to find out why:

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EARLY-BIRD PRICING THROUGH THIS FRIDAY, JULY 1

 
More than 350 of your colleagues have already locked in discounted registration rates to attend the foremost annual gathering of senior nutrition professionals in America. The early-bird rate is available through July 1 and additional discounts will be applied when you register with one or more of your colleagues.

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COME EARLY FOR AN INTENSIVE 101 LEVEL WORKSHOP ON HEALTHCARE INTEGRATION

 
Join us on Tuesday, August 30 for an Intensive Workshop hosted by the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (NRCNA) on the opportunities for home and community-based services (HCBS) to be a part of integrated healthcare services. Your program could be delivering valuable services that, when packaged correctly, can help managed care organizations (MCOs), accountable care organizations (ACOs), stand-alone hospitals, and healthcare insurance companies improve the health of their members or patients. This workshop will offer an introduction to understanding the healthcare marketplace, developing mutually-beneficial partnerships and conducting an organizational capacity assessment. It will provide a basis for building the skills and knowledge needed and the terminology used to enhance the business acumen and sustainability strategies of the nutrition and aging network. You'll also hear from peers that are venturing into this space. Attendees who are working toward a Meals on Wheels Leadership Certificate will receive three credits. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

BOOK YOUR HOTEL BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Our discounted room block at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is now almost completely filled. It is important to reserve your room(s) as soon as possible to stay onsite. If you haven't already, you can book your stay online or by calling 1-888-777-6779. Be sure to mention the group discount code "Meals on Wheels America."

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please beware of scams that ask you to book accommodations through channels other than the website and phone number listed above.

We look forward to rising up in the Music City!

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

 

Cameron Nutrition Center Inc., Cameron, MI
Community Action Agency of North Alabama, Inc., Decatur, AL
Community Action Network , Ann Arbor, MI
D.C. Office on Aging, Washington, DC
Gwinnett County Senior Services, Lawrenceville, GA
Ossipee Concerned Citizens, Inc., Center Ossipee, NH
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Philadelphia, PA
Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging, Burkeville, VA
United Way of Central Alabama, Birmingham, AL


INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

FDA UNVEILS NEW NUTRITION LABEL

First Lady Michelle Obama recently unveiled the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first major overhaul to the Nutrition Facts Panel since 1993. While the label’s standard look will not change, larger fonts will call out calories and more realistic serving sizes. Fueled by research around diet and chronic disease, the label will mark the important distinction between added and naturally occurring sugars, while also noting the percent Daily Value of vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.

It could be helpful to point out to your clients that the label’s nutrition information is for the ‘average American’ diet, which is quite different from the nutrient needs of older Americans. The larger font and realistic serving sizes, however, will make it easier for seniors and their caregivers to better evaluate each food item overall.

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    Senior nutrition programs should keep these changes in mind when developing nutrition education that centers on the newly-released Nutrition Facts label.

    Learn more:

    ASSOCIATION UPDATES

    MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA SUBMITS TESTIMONY TO HELP SHAPE PARTY PLATFORMS

    Now is the time to make our voices heard in this election. With the national Republican and Democratic Conventions happening next month, both parties are working hard to develop their Party Platforms – platforms that will eventually shape the goals of each Presidential nominee. In order to ensure that the issues of senior hunger and isolation are considered in this process, Meals on Wheels America is submitting information to both Platform Committees for unbiased educational and advocacy purposes only. Meals on Wheels America, like other charitable organizations, cannot engage in any partisan political campaign activities.

    Earlier this month, President and CEO Ellie Hollander, submitted video and written testimony to the Democratic Platform Committee about our powerful public-private partnership and the benefit it provides to not only seniors, but to communities and taxpayers at large.

    You can read her written testimony here. Similar testimony will be submitted to the Republican Platform Committee. In addition, Vote to End Hunger, a coalition of which we are a part, sent letters to both Party Platform Committee Chairmen.

    WHAT'S AHEAD


    The Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, OH on July 18-21 and you can learn more here. The Democratic National Convention will be held in Philadelphia, PA on July 25-28 and you can learn more here. We’ll also update you with opportunities to submit information and ideas as they become available.

    Always feel free to reach out to the Advocacy Team at advocacy@mealsonwheelsamerica.org with any questions.

    ASSOCIATION AND CAESARS AWARD ESSENTIAL MEAL DELIVERY VEHICLES

    Caesars Foundation, the private foundation funded by Caesars Entertainment and its resort properties, donated meal delivery vehicles to three Meals on Wheels America Members last month. This gift furthers Caesars Foundation's 14-year commitment to helping older Americans live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives.

    Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander and Chief Membership Officer Todd Turner hit the road to help deliver these vehicles to the fortunate receiving Members:

    Bergen County Division of Senior Services
    Hackensack, NJ

    Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana
    Indianapolis, IN

    The Lord Is My Help
    Ocean Springs, MS

    Caesars Foundation has contributed a total of 59 vehicles to Members in 18 states over the last 14 years, representing more than $5 million in support to Meals on Wheels America Members.

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    "They have and continue to be an avid supporter of Meals on Wheels and its fight to end hunger and isolation amongst the aging population,” said Dan Nita, Regional President, Caesars Entertainment and Caesars Foundation Trustee. “This longstanding relationship has allowed our organizations to improve the lives of countless older individuals across the country by providing them with the nutrition they need to live longer and more vibrant lives.”

    Learn more about Meals on Wheels America’s partnership with Caesars Foundation here.

    TOOLS TO HELP PREVENT ELDER ABUSE NOW AVAILABLE

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    The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (N4A) launched a campaign on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) that focused on financial exploitation scams that affect seniors all over the country. For this campaign, N4A released two brochures: Answers on Aging Financial Exploitation: Safeguarding Your Money & Property and Home Improvement Scams: Tools to Reduce Your Risk, to keep the conversation going about preventing financial exploitation on the elderly. Spreading the word and advocating against elder abuse year-round will help to create awareness within your community, and ultimately motivate others to take action, too. These resources and brochures can be found here. 

    Millions of cases of elder abuse are reported each year, and the need to educate communities, take action and learn about programs is more important than ever. By generating awareness and educating communities on the social and economic implications of elder abuse, more people are encouraged to speak out against the injustices and neglect seniors may face.
     

     
    For additional resources, visit the National Center on Elder Abuse online at www.ncea.aoa.gov.

    MEET THE NEW MEALS ON WHEELS LOVES PETS MEMBER ADVISORY COUNCIL

    The 2016 Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grant program is now complete. We’re pleased to announce that we’ve awarded a total of $300,000 to 162 Meals on Wheels programs across the country and enabled the creation of 17 new pet programs! These grants are just one of the many ways we hope to support Member pet programs, so we’re now looking at how we can best serve you in the future through other initiatives.

    Because you are the true experts in the senior care and pet space, we’ve put together a new Meals on Wheels Loves Pets Member Advisory Council that will help us do just this. The participating Members will meet several times a year and their input will guide the program’s strategy. Learn which of your peers are on the Advisory Council below!

    HERE ARE YOUR ADVISORY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES:

     
    Juliet Nations    , VNA Meals on Wheels, Dallas, TX
    Heather Allard, Meals on Wheels of Central Texas, Austin, TX
    Katie Jantzi, FeedMore, Richmond, VA
    Lisa Gilliland, Lubbock Meals on Wheels, Lubbock, TX
    Margaret Schweizer, Visting Nurse Service Meals on Wheels, Webster, NY
    Lynn Haynes, Meals on Wheels of Norman, Inc., Norman, OK
    Sam Gress, HapCap, Glouster, OH
    Timothy Wolf, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County, Ewing, NJ
    Steve Homan, Mid Florida Community Services, Inc., Brooksville, FL 
    Tim Getty, The Heritage Agency on Aging, Cedar Rapids, IA

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    ​INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
    You can view the Advisory Council charter here or visit our Meals on Wheels Loves Pets page.

    And, if you have any questions about it or about Meals on Wheels Loves Pets in general, contact Doyle Delph, Special Projects Manager, at doyle@mealwheelsamerica.org.

    MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES & BENEFITS

    FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OLDER ADULTS ENROLL IN SNAP

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    The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is currently accepting proposals from organizations who wish to enroll in SNAP. These awards will be in the amount of $50,000, and will include up to eight new Senior SNAP Enrollment Initiative sites. This funding opportunity for seniors will be available for organizations who are already enrolled in SNAP, who have previously participated with the SNAP program, or who wish to expand their programs to include SNAP.

    The Request for Proposals is available here. Letters of Intent for this opportunity are due July 6, 2016 and full proposals are due August 3, 2016. Further information and instructions are available here.

    NCOA is also hosting an optional webinar to answer questions about the RFP process on June 30, 2016. For those who are unable to attend, they will record the webinar and make it available at www.ncoa.org/snapawards.

    REGISTER HERE

    EVEN MORE SAVINGS DISCOVERED THROUGH OUR MEMBER DISCOUNT PROGRAM

    The Meals on Wheels Member Discount Program continues to provide significant savings on the products and services you use most. As you know, our partnerships with selected providers leverage the buying power of the entire nationwide Meals on Wheels network for your local program – enabling you to save more. Just recently, two Member programs, ranging in size and budget, found how much their programs each could save when we completed a spending analysis for them. One program, with a larger budget, learned they could save $18,000 in just six weeks alone. Another program, with a smaller budget, learned they could save 27% on food purchases alone.

    IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

    The Meals on Wheels Member Discount Program is now offering nationally discounted wholesale meals from Valley, Inc. Every frozen meal provided through Valley's well-established Traditions Meals Solutions brand meets the 1/3 dietary reference intakes (DRI) requirement of Older Americans Act nutrition programs and can enable you to support more seniors in your area. It's also the perfect solution for senior congregate dining centers, care transitions and any scenario requiring quality, ready-to-heat meals. Read more here.

    QUESTIONS?

    Please contact our Business Services Manager Steven Skelton at 706-436-3999 or steven@mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

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    JOIN THE DISCUSSION

     
    Did you know that we have an online discussion group where Members just like you are actively collaborating with their peers on crucial topics? Contribute and learn about these topics by joining our LinkedIn Discussion Group here. A few of the most recent conversations in the group include:

    • Best practices and products for transporting various meals;
    • How and when to recognize donors; and
    • Recommendations on emergency preparedness for inclement weather conditions.

    WHAT’S THIS MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA MEMBER BADGE ANYWAY?!

    Have you been considering adopting the new Meals on Wheels brand for your program but still have some unanswered questions? Each month, we’ll be answering your most commonly asked questions about the Meals on Wheels brand here as a quick and easy resource for you!

    THIS MONTH'S QUESTION:


    What’s the difference between displaying the Meals on Wheels America Member Badge and adopting the Meals on Wheels brand?

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    ​ANSWER:


    The Member Badge is an easy way to display your affiliation with the national Meals on Wheels movement on your website, social media and other materials. Now, a stipulation for most of our grant opportunities, the Badge needs to be visibly displayed on your website. Adopting the full brand means taking on a customized version of the Meals on Wheels America logo for your own program. We create the logo files for you when you sign a brand license agreement. Adopting the brand is a more in-depth process, however, it yields many added benefits!

    Check out the Brand Resource Center to learn more. If you have a specific question you need answered that you don’t see there, email us at brand@mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

    STILL HITTING A ROADBLOCK?

    Members have told us that one obstacle they sometimes face in adopting the new brand is cost. Adopting the brand is free. We provide the custom logo files and free photo gallery access. In addition, we’re offering a limited number of brand grants up to $2,500 for Member programs to offset costs like new stationary and materials, website updates, and anything else you need to rebrand. Nearly $40,000 has already been awarded to our brand adopters. Apply today!

    ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE AD COUNCIL CAMPAIGN: A HOW-TO WEBINAR – WEBINAR, JUNE 30

    The exciting launch of the nationwide Meals on Wheels Ad Council campaign is right around the corner and this webinar will provide Members with all the information and tools that they can use to bring it to life in their own communities. We've been hard at work creating elements of the campaign that you can customize locally, developing resources to help you engage local media and supporters, and building tools to support your efforts to create even greater awareness, support and impact for your program. Register for this webinar taking place on Thursday, June 30 to learn how to make the most out of this game-changing opportunity.

      IN THIS WEBINAR YOU WILL:

      • Receive an overview of the online local program Campaign Hub website and learn how to get the most out of it;
      • Find out how to customize the campaign's theme and communications for your local community; and
      • Learn about national launch activities and how you can plan local activities to ride the national wave of awareness.
      WEBINAR: Engage Your Community in the Ad Council Campaign: A How-To Webinar
      PRESENTER: Susan Waldman, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Meals on Wheels America
      WHEN: Thursday, June 30, 2016
      TIME: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT
      FEE: FREE
      REGISTER NOW

      THINK BIGGER, GET BOLDER: EXPLORING TRENDS FOR MORE STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING – WEBINAR, JULY 12

      Join us for this Leadership Academy webinar with presenter Mazarine Treyz, the founder of Wild Woman Fundraising, on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 3:30 EDT to fine-tune your program's fundraising strategy based on the trends found in the 2016 Atlas of Giving. Together, we will look at the current state of fundraising, the causes of a downturn in giving, and what you can do to raise more funding in today's environment. You'll also learn how to use strategy development tools and hear how similar organizations are applying innovative thinking.

        IN THIS WEBINAR YOU WILL:

          • Receive an overview of the 2016 Atlas of Giving Trends;
          • Learn about the current market and how to promote your unique services; and
          • Discuss common misunderstandings about next-level fundraising and how your program can improve upon its existing fundraising strategy.
        WEBINAR: Think Bigger, Get Better: Exploring Trends for More Strategic Fundraising
        PRESENTER:         Mazarine Treyz, Wild Woman Fundraising
        WHEN: Tuesday, July 12, 2016
        TIME: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT
        COMPETENCY: Planning for the Future
        TRACK: Thought Leadership
        FEE: $25
        REGISTER NOW