Runners are scheduled to hit the streets later this month in Dobson to help persons in Surry County who are far less mobile.
This involves homebound seniors served by Meals on Wheels, a program operated through Yadkin Valley Economic Development District Inc. (YVEDDI) which made 34,815 deliveries during the 2019 fiscal year.
However, there are presently 126 homebound seniors in Surry on the waiting list to be served by Meals on Wheels.
“We’d like to be able to say that number is zero,” YVEDDI Executive Director Lisa Money said in a statement.
One means of reducing the waiting list is planned on March 28, which will involve locomotion by feet rather than wheels during the seventh-annual 5K/10K for YVEDDI Meals on Wheels of Surry County. Both run segments will originate from Dobson Square Park.
Since being launched, the 5K/10K has generated more than $60,000 to help eliminate food insecurity for Surry County’s homebound population. “There have been more than 20,000 meals delivered to vulnerable seniors because of this annual event and your previous support,” Money added in appealing to runners.
Online registration for the fundraiser is available at www.itsyourrace.com (by typing Meals on the Run in the search box). The cost is $35 per person from now until Race Day, with all proceeds going toward the delivery program.
Registration will be available during early packet pickup at Dobson United Methodist Church on March 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on the March 28 Race Day at the event site from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
The 10K (6.2-mile) race is slated for 8 a.m. and the 5K (3.1 miles) at 8:15 a.m. at Dobson Square Park, with the courses for both to utilize local roadways.
Trophies will be awarded to the first-place-overall male and female finishers, with the top-three male and female competitors in age divisions to receive custom medals. The breakdowns are 13 and younger, 14 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69 and 70 and over.
Coronavirus cloud
Numerous high school and collegiate sporting events in North Carolina have been canceled or suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, but this has not been the case with the 5K/10K for YVEDDI Meals on Wheels of Surry County.
“As of right now it is (still on),” Susan Lawrence, a YVEDDI program specialist for senior services, said Friday.
“We haven’t been told anything different,” added Lawrence, who is helping to organize the event that drew 76 participants in 2019.
The fact an outdoor gathering is involved is in its favor as far as limiting any spread of disease, she indicated. “We have the whole park to ourselves.”
Lawrence mentioned that a 74-year-old woman has signed up to walk the 5K who is also a Meals on Wheels volunteer driver.
In addition to the run proceeds, YVEDDI/Meals on Wheels of Surry County receives funding from the state and Surry County governments, the United Fund of Surry and the Yadkin Valley United Fund.
More than meals
YVEDDI delivers a hot, nutritionally balanced meal to eligible homebound senior adults in Surry County five days each week, but much more than physical nourishment is involved, officials say.
For many seniors, the driver delivering the meals is the only person they see all day. In a client-satisfaction survey conducted in October, 92% of respondents reported that they believe their health has improved and they feel better and more secure in their residences because of receiving a home-delivered meal.
“I thank God every day for Meals on Wheels and my driver who delivers the meals,” one survey participant said. “My driver is a wonderful person, always thinking of others.”
That individual, described as almost 92 years old, credited the program with providing a degree of independence, saying the meals “help to enable me to stay in my home — thank you.”
“We hope everyone will come out and support Meals on Wheels,” Lawrence said.
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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com