March for Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels of Mercer County has announced its participation in a nationwide campaign designed to rally communities around our senior neighbors and protect the essential services that enable so many to remain healthy and independent at home. Meals on Wheels of Mercer County’s participation will include activities throughout the month of March in honor of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program anniversary, including prominent VIPS delivering meals throughout the County and partnering with several local restaurants for special events (detailed information is available on our website). Please follow our posts on our social media all month long that will put a spotlight on senior hunger and isolation.
“Funding for Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (MOWMC) is the lifeline that transforms compassion into nourishment and care,” said Amy Flynn, CEO of Meals on Wheels of Mercer County. It ensures not just the delivery of warm nutritious and medically tailored meals, but the sustenance of dignity, independence, and well-being for our vulnerable seniors. Every dollar invested helps MOWMC to continue providing the quality food and daily well-checks our program participants need.”
National efforts in March will commemorate the historic day in March of 1972 when the Older Americans Act was amended to include a nutrition program for Americans 60 years and older. More than 50 years later, 12 million older Americans are still threatened by or experience hunger, and one in three seniors feels lonely. That is why Meals on Wheels programs from across the country are joining forces to raise awareness and support to ensure we can continue to address food insecurity and malnutrition, combat social isolation, enable independence and improve health for decades to come.
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.
“Now is an important time for us to unite 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. “In the face of soaring demand and costs that surpass our current resources, we need to come together as communities to bridge the gaps. I encourage you to participate by donating, volunteering or speaking out for seniors throughout March to play your part. We can’t do it alone — it takes all of us to save lunch for our seniors.”
For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute or speak out for the seniors in Mercer County this March, visit www.mealsonwheelsmercer.org.
About Meals on Wheels of Mercer County: Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (MOWMC) is a comprehensive nutrition program committed to providing nutritious meals and related services, while easing the social isolation of our homebound participants. The goal of our services is to assist participants, who wish to remain in their homes, maintain independence, dignity, health, and well-being. Founded in 1973, we served close to 90,000 meals in 2023 to homebound individuals in Mercer County.
Call for Vendors
Mercer County’s 12 municipalities are home to citizens of many ethnicities and countries of origin. In celebration of this diversity, County Executive Dan Benson, the Board of County Commissioners, and the Division of Culture and Heritage present the 12th Annual Cultural Festival & Food Truck Rally on Saturday, June 8, at Mercer County Park in West Windsor.
The festival, will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., celebrating diverse cultures through live music and traditional dance performances, authentic food trucks, a beer garden, art demonstrations, heritage crafters, activities for children, and more.
If you’d like to participate in this year’s Cultural Festival as either a craft vendor (selling cultural/heritage-related goods) or as a food truck/vendor, please fill out the applicable online form below by April 1, 2024.
Food vendor application: https://mercercountynj.seamlessdocs.com/f/FoodVendor
Craft vendor application: https://mercercountynj.seamlessdocs.com/f/TraditionalCraftVendor
Given the growing success of the annual Cultural Festival, The Division of Culture & Heritage has put a cap on the number of craft and food vendors able to participate. To ensure this year’s Cultural Festival is as diverse as possible, all submitted applications will be reviewed to determine this year’s food truck and craft vendor festival line-up.
Those who are selected to participate will be notified by April 8, 2024. Payment will be processed after the line-up is determined.
For more information, call the Mercer County Division of Culture & Heritage at 609-278-2712 or e-mail culturalfestival@mercercounty.org.
Impromptu Challenge, Part 3
Princeton University Concerts has announced its third and final Impromptu Challenge prompt for this season.
This new partnership with the Isolation Journals, an international community founded by PUC artist Suleika Jaouad that cultivates creativity and fosters connection through journaling, invites music lovers of all ages to reflect on their relationship to music through a series of journaling prompts.
The Impromptu Challenge has launched with two prompts from Isolation Journals founder, Emmy Award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author Jaouad. The first prompt was inspired by her recent appearance with musician Jon Batiste on PUC’s Healing with Music Series: “The Beat Goes On: Healing from Cancer through Music” (November 15, 2023).
The second prompt was inspired by “Exploring the Intersection of Music, Dance & Parkinson’s,” the second event on PUC’s Healing with Music Series which will take place on Sunday, March 3.
The final Impromptu Challenge prompt is related to the final topic of the 2023-24 Healing with Music series, “Anxiety, Depression, and Music,” featuring pianist Jonathan Biss and writer Adam Haslett (presented April 24, 2024):
Write about a time you saw the art in failure, when you felt the euphoria of truly letting go.”
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 22. Visit concerts.princeton.edu/impromptu-challenge for full submission guidelines.
