Meals On Wheels Volunteers Collect, Sort, Pack & Deliver Holiday Gift Bags to 700 Seniors & Homebo

TAMPA, Fla. - Dec. 18, 2015 - PRLog -- SAT. 1TAMPA, FL, Saturday, December 19, 2015 – Meals On Wheels of Tampa (MOWTampa) volunteers along with their cars full of families, will deliver thousands of donated items to over 700 senior and homebound meal recipients on the morning of Super Saturday, Saturday, December 19^th.

Over 100 community members and families will volunteer their time, vehicle, and gas to deliver holiday bags filled with homemade cards, toiletries, healthy snacks, puzzles and games to homebound neighbors on Saturday morning.  Volunteers will pick up items from MOWTampa between 9:30am-10:30am. Routes will take volunteers about an hour to complete.

The goal of this mission is to let the homebound members of Tampa know they are loved and thought of during the holiday season, and not forgotten.  For most of the 700 recipients this will be the only gift they receive this holiday season. Most of them do not have family or friends near and/or they are unable to leave the house to visit loved ones or shop. This is our way of showing our recipients they are cared for above and beyond a daily meal.

This mission could not have been fulfilled without the hundreds of volunteers, community members, organizations who have come together.  Holiday Gift Bag items were collected in wrapped donation drop boxes by more than 50 groups, including Mosaic, Bank of Tampa, Van Dyke Church and MacFarlane Park Elementary Magnet School. A special thank you to Canterbury Tower for donating the holiday gift tote bags.

“We are humbled by the generosity and support from our community to help fill the holiday gift bags,” stated Jan Costello, Recipient Intake Coordinator, “a value can not be placed on the difference this gift bag will make in our recipients holidays, as most are not going to leave their house or join a gathering with family.”

MOWTampa encourages neighbors to help neighbors this holiday season and not to forget the hidden faces of our homebound.  Stop in and say hello, you may be the only person they see today.

2/19: Over 100 volunteers and their cars full of families will deliver holiday gift bags. Please arrive at Meals On Wheels of Tampa office, 550 W Hillsborough Ave, at 9:00am Saturday, December 19. Volunteers will pick up pre-packed bags between 9:30-10:30am. Please let Lauren know if you would like to ride along with a volunteer to capture footage of the recipient receiving the gift bag at the front door. Thanks!

For additional information or to schedule a ride along for Holiday Gift Bag delivery day, please contact Lauren Vance at l.vance@mowtampa.org; office (813) 238-8410; or cell (847) 529-8628.­­­

About Meals On Wheels of Tampa:
Meals On Wheels of Tampa has been committed to nourishing and enriching the independent lives of the homebound and seniors of Tampa since 1975. Today, Meals On Wheels of Tampa serves over 700 people with a hot meal during the lunch hour.  Meals On Wheels of Tampa is a 4-star charity and relies on its community for support by not accepting government funding.