Meals on Wheels Association of America: 2001 Conference Highlights

On November 14, 2001, American Red Cross chapter representatives from across the country met in Kansas City, Mo., for the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) Conference. The conference was an opportunity for chapters to learn how to grow their food and nutritional programs as well as to network with MOWAA representatives. Several speakers, including MOWAA Executive Director Enid Borden, MOWAA Director of Policy and Legislation Peggy Ingraham and Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell, gave presentations about the future of food and nutritional programs.

Chapter representatives spent time working together on specific program needs and considered ways to improve working with MOWAA. Representatives discussed ideas such as using Food and Nutrition visibility items (e.g. Red Cross t-shirts and jackets for drivers) and exploring new ways to apply chapters' food and nutrition expertise to other areas, like expanding senior services to meet the needs of seniors during disasters. Chapter representatives emphasized the need to encourage all chapters to become members of the Meals on Wheels Association of America and to continue to formalize the Letter of Understanding between the Red Cross and MOWAA.

The conference allowed chapters to exchange ideas and learn more about how each other's programs function effectively. William C. Park, director of the Greater Rochester (N.Y.) Chapter, said he learned new information about food safety and sanitation, volunteer recruitment and retention, and benefits of Red Cross/MOWAA collaboration.

Mildred Smith of the Tacoma-Pierce County (Wash.) Chapter came to the conference to learn more about program administration and development. She walked away with that as well as a greater understanding of nutrition education for people living with HIV or AIDS who receive home-delivered meals. "We hope to take some of our expertise to our AIDS foundations who deliver to AIDS clients and to collaborate to provide the nutrition education component," said Smith.

Red Cross representatives also participated in the Certified Volunteer Management and Certified Nutrition Program Administrator courses at the conference. Other sessions covered topics including Elderly in Rural Communities, Director Training, Fundraising, Enhancing Board/CEO and Diversity.

Other conference highlights included a daylong discussion held by Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell regarding key issues affecting meal programs across the country. The former head of Little Havana, one of the largest non-profit organizations in Florida, and a Red Cross volunteer, Carbonell was appointed by President Bush earlier this year. In the assistant secretary's discussion, she said she intends to advocate streamlining the Older Americans Act allocations. Carbonell said her goal is to empower local agencies by streamlining funding and clarifying guidelines. These actions will mean less red tape and greater flexibility for chapters that provide food and nutritional programs.

The Meals on Wheels Association of American and its members are certain to gain greater publicity in the coming months as Fleishman-Hillard, the world's largest public relations firm, begins pro-bono work for the association and its members. The firm intends to conduct a national survey to measure consumer awareness and attitudes about food and nutrition programs and will provide local programs with a toolkit to help fundraising efforts and community visibility.

The next MOWAA conference will be held November 2002 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. If you would like more information about this event, please contact Rod Tolbert at tolbertr@usa.redcross.org.

Click here for more Homeless and other Community Services news.