Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney commemorated March for Meals on March 4 during a visit with Meals on Wheels partners, staff, and Food Pantry volunteers at the Partnership for Social Services in Franklin who unite to support local seniors. The bishop delivered a meal to Meals on Wheels senior during his visit.
Each year, March for Meals celebrates the day in 1972 when a national nutrition program for seniors was added to the Older Americans Act, which supported the rapid growth of the Meals on Wheels network.
Meals on Wheels at the partnership, part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson, provides a hot, nutritionally balanced meal to Sussex County residents aged 60 and older who are homebound, isolated, and unable to prepare meals themselves. Volunteers also give clients companionship and check on their well-being during their visits.
During his March 4 visit, Bishop Sweeney delivered a meal to Robert Uszenski, a legally blind senior who lives in a senior apartment building, and talked with him.
Earlier, Bishop Sweeney met with partnership staff, volunteers, and others who support the senior outreach. He listened to Joseph Murray, Catholic Family and Community Services executive director, speak about the program and volunteers who shared their experiences. They also recited the Jubilee Prayer for the Year of Hope 2025 together.
“The Meals on Wheels network has claimed the month of March to rally communities around its vital service, celebrate our senior neighbors, and increase support for this successful public-private partnership that has ensured millions of older Americans can remain healthy and independent at home,” Kathy Talmadge, Sussex site director, said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
