Meals On Wheels Radiothon Fundraiser Takes Place This Morning

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The 14th annual Meals On Wheels fundraiser is a Radiothon that takes place this morning (Friday, August 21) from 9 AM to 11 AM on STAR 92.7 FM.

Sierra Senior Providers CEO Kristi Conforti was Friday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.

Due to pandemic-related concerns, the Radiothon is being held in lieu of MOW’s very successful annual outdoor dinner and auction event.

The two-hour broadcast will be hosted by Mark and Maryann and will feature interviews with members of the MOW team, major MOW sponsors and Darrel Slocum, the Executive Director of the Sonora Area Foundation (SAF), which is offering a $50,000 matching grant in support as well.

Sierra Senior Providers, Inc. (SSPI), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1996, has operated the Meals on Wheels program since opening its doors. MOW provides five home-delivered meals weekly to qualified Tuolumne County residents age 60 or older who are unable to drive, shop or cook safely and consistently. Over the past 13 years, 715,630 meals have been delivered to almost 2,700 homebound seniors.

The meals promote health by providing a third of necessary daily calories, and moreover, each meal delivery involves social interaction – perhaps the only contact some seniors have all day – and an opportunity for drivers to check on seniors’ safety. Meals on Wheels also provides pet food and newspapers, and delivers library books in conjunction with the Tuolumne County Library.

The program is praised by clients and their families, according to Meals on Wheels Coordinator Kelli Kleinhans, and that’s been especially true during the pandemic. Drivers are hailed for going “above and beyond”, and are deemed “lifesavers” and “heroes”. One client’s family member had this to say: “Thank you so much for your service. What you provided for our mom wasn’t just meals, but also a sense of security knowing she was checked on daily.”

SAF is pleased to offer a $50,000 matching grant for MOW’s Radiothon to encourage community support of this outstanding and vital program. SAF has a long history of supporting SSPI and MOW: SAF in the past 20 years has granted SSPI nearly $750,000, and honored the nonprofit with the 2019 Irving J. Symons Community Impact Award. The matching grant will be funded through SAF’s Community Recovery Fund, which was created to assist Tuolumne County communities’ response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clarke Broadcasting Corporation is providing air time and on-air talent for the Radiothon. Clarke Broadcasting Corporation is owner and operator of radio stations KVML AM 1450/FM 102.7, KZSQ STAR 92.7 FM and KKBN 93.5 FM, as well as the region’s most-visited community website www.mymotherlode.com.

Donations to be applied to the matching grant are being accepted now through the end of the Radiothon.

To donate online, click the Radiothon logo, located in the upper right corner of the mymotherlode.com homepage.

Listeners can also call Sierra Senior Providers, Inc at (209) 533-2622. Credit cards will be accepted.

Both Oak Valley Community Banks in Sonora and east Sonora, will accept donations as well.

Checks may be made payable to and mailed to Sonora Area Foundation (362 S. Stewart St., Sonora, CA 95370), with “SSPI/MOW” in the memo line.

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.