AUSTIN, TEXAS - (September 3, 2008) Today officials from Meals on Wheels and More and the Statesman Capitol 10,000 announced that MOWAM will be the beneficiary of the 2009 race, which will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2009.

 

This is the first time MOWAM has been selected to receive sponsorship proceeds from the Statesman Cap 10. MOWAM plans to allocate the funding toward the expansion of their facilities in East Austin.  In their current facility, MOWAM distributes close to one million meals annually. An addition of 21,000 square feet will be used to house new kitchen equipment and allow for MOWAM to more than double the number of meals in the coming decade.

 

"The growing need for our services, due to the increase in elderly residents in Austin, is a stark reality, and we must expand our kitchen and production capacity if we want to continue serving the homebound elderly and disabled individuals in our community," said CEO and President Dan Pruett. "Now, through the generous help from the Austin American-Statesman and the race's presenting sponsor Guaranty Bank, MOWAM will be much closer to reaching our fundraising goal for this important project."

 

"Meals on Wheels and More clearly serves some of our most vulnerable citizens-the homebound, the elderly and often, the disabled.  In many cases, their volunteers provide the only contact with the outside world as well as the main source for hot, nutritious meals.  With this segment of our population projected to grow rapidly in the next decade, we are pleased to name this vibrant organization the recipient of our 32^nd race," said Michael Vivio, associate publisher of the Austin American-Statesman.

 

According to the Austin City Demographer, by 2020 there will be 214,000 individuals over the age of 65 living in Travis County and a significant portion of this population is expected to be either living in poverty or living with a disability severe enough to affect daily activities or both. By this time, MOWAM expects to be preparing 2.1 million meals each year - more than twice the number of annual meals we prepare now.

 

Currently, MOWAM distributes 4,000 meals and reaches 3,100 clients each business day. MOWAM is one of the premiere Meals on Wheels organization in the country, and operates 10 programs in addition to our meal delivery program, which allows us to serve clients more holistically.

 

In addition to providing a hot meal each weekday, MOWAM offers the following services to our clients:

 

Care Calls: Volunteer "phone friends" call isolated, homebound clients at least twice a week to check in on their welfare.

Medi Wheels: Provides rides to and from regular medical appointments for clients lacking much-needed transportation.

Groceries-to-Go: Volunteers grocery shop for clients who are unable to get to the store, but can still prepare some food.

Handy Wheels: Volunteers provide minor home repairs for homebound clients.

H.O.P.E.: Volunteers deliver an extra 20-pound bag of non-perishable groceries - provided by the Capital Area Food Bank -- to clients in need of extra food.

P.A.L.S.: Provides free pet food and periodic health screenings to pets of homebound clients.

Meals for Kids: Provides hot, afternoon meals every weekday and monthly nutrition education to over 300 low-income children in after-school programs across the city.

Country Wheels: Provides 7 frozen meals to homebound clients living in isolated, rural areas.

Client Assistance Program: Provides financial support, when available, to clients unable to purchase necessary household items or afford utility bills or rent.

Second & Seventh Meals: Provides extra shelf-stable meals to clients either daily or on the weekends.

 

The Statesman Cap 10 began in 1978 and is the largest 10K in Texas and the fifth largest in the country. The Austin American-Statesman, presenting sponsor Guaranty Bank and other event sponsors will present a sponsorship proceeds check to Meals on Wheels and More at 8 a.m. on race day at the starting line on Congress Avenue at Barton Springs Road.  Since race sponsorships became available in 1993, more than $2 million has been given to 11 Austin-area non-profit organizations.

 

For more race information contact Renet  Presas at 512-445-3596 or visit statesman.com/cap10k. Registration for the 2009 event will be available on the race Web site beginning October 1, 2008.

 

For press inquiries, please contact Sarah Andrews at 512-628-8131 or .

 

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