Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe

County
Address:685 N 36th St., Lafayette, IN 47905
Phone: (765) 429-MEAL or (765) 429-6325
Facebook: Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County

Media Kit

Cover Letter
Contact: Yajie Mu
Public Relations at Purdue University
Email: mu16@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-838-9494
Dear Media Representative,
As you develop your media content, please consider Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County as a
source for any articles. You may be developing on senior isolation issues, volunteer opportunities
for students and etc.
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County is currently a program of The Center @ Jenks Rest. Our
services are more than delivering nutritious meals. We also offer friendly visit and safety check.
Our clients are so happy to see our volunteers every day. At this moment, we are seeking for
more donation and volunteers.
To give you an idea of Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County. I also am enclosing:
A press release about the Charity Bingo Event;
A press release about March for Meals;
A backgrounder on current issues;
A feature story of volunteer opportunities;
An info graphic; and
A contact information sheet.
More information also available on our website: Please contact me if you have any question at
765-838-9494 or mu16@purdue.edu.
Sincerely,
Yajie Mu

Table of Content
Cover Page1
Cover Letter2
Table of Content3
Press Release 1 (Charity Bingo Event)4
Press Release 2 (March for Meals)5
Press Release 3 (History of Meals on Wheels)6
Backgrounder7
Feature Story11
Info Graphic, Contact Information, & Relevant Website13

Press Release 1
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County
685 N 36th St.
Lafayette, IN 47905
University
http://www.jenksrest.com/meals-on-wheels.html
Phone: (765) 429-MEAL or (765) 429-6325

For more information, contact:

Yajie Mu
Purdue
765-838-9494
mu16@purdue.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2016
THE CENTER @ JENKS REST WILL HOLD A CHARITY BINGO EVENT
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The Center @ Jenks Rest will hold a Charity Bingo Event on Apr. 10
at 1:15 p.m. The event place is Outpost Banquet Facility. It is located at 2501 Old US 31 South at
Elson Road, Lafayette. The ticket of this event costs $50 and it includes a full dinner.
The Charity Bingo Event is interesting because there is no gambling place in Lafayette. Said
by Jennifer Hall, one of the board member of Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County. The
payouts of the bingo range from $75 to $500.
The Charity Bingo Event is an annual fundraising event for The Center @ Jenks Rest. Meals on
Wheels is one of the programs The Center @ Jenks Rest raises money for. There will be different
people showing up to talk about the center and what services it offers. The available seats for this
event is 220.
For more ticket information, please contact The Center @ Jenks Rest at 765-447-2311.
Meals on Wheels is an international nonprofit organization. Its services include delivering
nutritious meals, friendly visit, and safety check for seniors. Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe
County is a local chapter in Greater Lafayette area. It became a program of The Center @ Jenks
Rest in December 2015.

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Press Release 2
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County
685 N 36th St.
Lafayette, IN 47905
University
http://www.jenksrest.com/meals-on-wheels.html
Phone: (765) 429-MEAL or (765) 429-6325

For more information, contact:

Yajie Mu
Purdue
765-838-9494
mu16@purdue.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2016
UPCOMING MARCH FOR MEALS EVENT IN GREATER LAFAYETTE AREA
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. March for Meals is an annual event for Meals on Wheels of
Tippecanoe County as well as for local Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. During
March, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County wants to increase peoples awareness on seniors
issues of hunger and isolation.
On Mar. 22, 1972, President Richard Nixon amended the Older American Act of 1965 and
established of senior national programs. In order to celebrate the establishment of senior national
programs, every March since 2002, local Meals on Wheels programs join together to help seniors
live healthier, happier and more independent in our community.
In 2015, there were 258 local Meals on Wheels programs participating in March for Meals. We
recruited around 5,000 volunteers and raised more than $1.6 billion during March, 2015. The
2016 March for Wheels will be the greatest campaign ever. There will be more participating
communities, more national attention, and a greater focus on the senior issues.
To participate in March for Meals, you can donate what you can, hold a fundraising event, speak
out to elected officials, or join the army of volunteers. We also welcome all senior nutrition
programs to participate and cooperate during 2016 March for Meals.
For more information, please contact Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County at 765-429-MEAL
or 765-429-6325.
Meals on Wheels is an international nonprofit organization. Its services include delivering
nutritious meals, friendly visit, and safety check for seniors. Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe
County is a local chapter in Greater Lafayette area. It became a program of The Center @ Jenks
Rest in December 2015.
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Press Release 3
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County
685 N 36th St.
Lafayette, IN 47905
University
http://www.jenksrest.com/meals-on-wheels.html
Phone: (765) 429-MEAL or (765) 429-6325

For more information, contact:

Yajie Mu
Purdue
765-838-9494
mu16@purdue.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2016
HISTORY OF MEALS ON WHEELS
WEST LAFYAETTE, Ind. Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County is a local program based in
Greater Lafayette Area. Meals on Wheels is a worldwide organization that delivers food to those
who are unable to purchase and cook their food.
It was first originated in the United Kingdom during the Blitz (1943), the bombing in the U.K.
during the Second World War, because during that time, many people lost their home and were
unable to cook. Then the organization spread out the world, Australia (1953), the United States
(1954), and Canada (1963).
At the end of 2015, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County was absorbed as a program of The
Center @ Jenks Rest, a local senior center. The reason of this shift is to reduce costs, like rent.
Due to reorganization, some of Meals on Wheels staff members changed, but the services,
meals prices, and volunteers were not changed at all. The transition was smooth. Since January
4th, 2016, Meals on Wheels has begun to deliver food again.
Meals on Wheels is an international nonprofit organization. Its services include delivering
nutritious meals, friendly visit, and safety check for seniors. Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe
County is a local chapter in Greater Lafayette area. It became a program of The Center @ Jenks
Rest in December 2015.

###
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Backgrounder
Contact: Yajie Mu
Public Relations at Purdue University
Email: mu16@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-838-9494
Executive Summary
This report includes an overview of the seniors isolation and diet problems. It introduces
National Meals on Wheels and Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County. It also analyzes three
issues facing Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County in details, sets a goal for them, and
discusses the possible solutions for these issues.
Issues:
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County has limited fundraising events.
The lack of using digital media prevents them from promoting their services.
Some people may have some misunderstandings about Meals on Wheels reputation and
services.
Goal:
To increase the funding of Meals on Wheels and raise peoples awareness of them.
Solutions:
Meals on Wheels can create more fundraising events, make full use of their Facebook
page, and re-launch their website or make a brochure to introduce their services systematically.

Report
According to the Census Bureaus 2012 American Community Survey Demographic
Data, 14.8 million of seniors are living alone or isolated. The State of Senior Hunger in America
2012 reported: An Annual Report from the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH),
9.3 million seniors are struggling with hunger. What makes the situation worse is that the number
of seniors are still growing fast. The seniors isolation and diet become a big problem for this
country. However, in the past, the only solution for them is to move to a nursing home, and this
is expensive.
Meals on Wheels is an organization to provide and deliver nutritious food to seniors.
They allow seniors stay at home and enjoy fresh food every day. They also solve the isolation
problem. When volunteers deliver food to a seniors home, volunteers will also check their
clients mood and health status. Thus, the elderly population does not have to relocate to a
nursing home and it helps them save money. The annual cost of Meals on Wheels is less than
1,600 dollars, and this is about a seven-day cost at a nursing home. The slogan of Meals on
Wheels is Providing much more than a meal.
Meals on Wheels is the oldest and largest national organization, which has a network of
more than 5,000 independently-run local community programs and more than 2,000,000
volunteers. Based on the local needs and resources of a community, each programs services
may vary. The Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County is located on 685 N. 36th St., Lafayette,
Indiana. It provides meal and pet food delivery services for Greater Lafayette Area.
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe Countys meals are provided by Indiana University
Health Arnett Hospital (IU Health). Every month, they provide their clients new menu after
consulting nutritionists. Since it is close to Purdue University, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe
County wants to attract more college students to become volunteers.
According to the news from wlfi.com, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County was
closed on December 23, 2015 due to financial issues, and its services were absorbed by The
Center @ Jenks Rest. Jennifer Hall, a Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe Countys board member,
thought it was a good idea to combine Meals on Wheels with the Senior Center because it
reduced additional overhead costs such as rent. Now, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County is
a program of The Center @ Jenks Rest.
Here are some problems the organization faced. Jennifer Hall said that fundraising was
not a strong point of Meals on Wheels, and United Way only provided a little financial support.
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County needs to raise most of the money. The lack of
fundraising events may cause future financial issues if the income cannot cover the expenses.
Whats more, Meals on Wheels does not use a lot of social media to build and keep the
relationships with sponsors and stakeholders currently. After Meals on Wheels became a program
of The Center @ Jenks Rest, people may have some misunderstandings about the program. In
order to build long-term relationships with Meals on Wheels stakeholders, they need to solve
these problems.
Limited Fundraising Events

Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County was closed and became a program of The Center
@ Jenks Rest in 2015 due to financial issues previously. If Meals on Wheels faces the financial
issues again, it will definitely damage their reputation and may be hard for them to find another

organization with which to cooperate. According to wlfi.com, Jennifer Shook, former Meals on
Wheels of Tippecanoe County Executive Director, said the number of daily meals had doubled in
the last three years, which had caused their expenses to exceed their income because many
clients bought meals at a reduced price. She also mentioned after the transition, the meal price
would stay the same.
If the number of clients keeps increasing after the transition, and they still pay the same
price, the costs of Meals on Wheels will increase. The expenses can possibly exceed the income
again. If Meals on Wheels cannot figure out more ways to increase their fundraising, they may
face financial problems again.
Lack of Digital Promoting
Hall stated, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County board members do not like to use
Facebook because they feel seniors do not use social media a lot. From the beginning of this
year, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County only posted twice on their Facebook page.
However, other people, especially young people, are frequent social media users. Though Meals
on Wheels clients do not usually use Facebook, the clients families, donors, and sponsors may
use it.
Whats more, Hall mentioned that she would like to see more young volunteers because
young people are energetic, and those senior people who stay at home would be happy to see
young people. In order to attract young people to become volunteers, using Facebook is
necessary.
Last but not least, Meals on Wheel of Tippecanoe Countys website domain name
http://mowtippecanoe.org/ has been expired since January 2nd, 2016. The lack of the website
makes it even harder for people to find some basic information about the program.
Misunderstandings of Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County
People usually get to know Meals on Wheels through referrals from doctors, senior
information fairs, assistant living houses and etc. Those methods are not reliable because they are
not from Meals on Wheels directly. If there are any changes, the information cannot be updated
immediately through these methods. For present, Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe Countys
website does not work, it is not convenient for people to get official and precise information.
Some misunderstandings about the program have appeared. For example, Hall mentioned that
some people thought all of the meals provided are free, and the fact is that meals prices vary
from free to full price. Also, some people may doubt Meals on Wheels service qualities after
the transition to the Senior Center.
Goals & Solutions

In order to ensure the long-term development of Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County,

those three issues mentioned above need to be solved. Here are three solutions to help Meals on
Wheels increase funding and promote their services.
First, there needs to be more fundraising events to ensure the daily operation of the
organization continuous. The Center @ Jenks Rest has Charity Bingo event, garage sale, and golf
outing. They can increase frequency of the events. For example, the Charity Bingo had a success

last year. Maybe instead of holding it for once a year, The Center @ Jenks Rest could hold it
twice a year. Meals on Wheels needs to ensure there is enough income to cover the costs.
Second, they can begin to design tailored posts on social media targeting present and
potential donors, clients families, volunteers, and etc. For example, Snapchat and Instagram are
so popular among young people. By using them, Meals on Wheels can attract more young
volunteers.
Last but not least, to avoid misunderstandings about Meals on Wheels, they should
provide their publics detailed and precise information. The solution for this issue is to fix their
website or design a brochure to give more information. There should be specific prices for each
meal and menu so their present and potential client can know more about the program.

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Feature Story
Contact: Yajie Mu
Public Relations at Purdue University
Email: mu16@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-838-9494
Volunteer Opportunities for Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County
Why Volunteer at Meals on Wheels?
YOU CAN BRING HAPPINESS TO SENIORS and MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR
SOCIETY. When talking about Meals on Wheels, what people can think about is just delivering
meals. However, for some isolated seniors. The delivery volunteers may be the only people they
meet every day. They are so happy to see the volunteers. Even you work in different volunteer
positions at Meals on Wheels, your efforts help the organization function.
Volunteer Positions Meals on Wheels Offers
Meals on Wheels has more than two million volunteers at the heart of the effort that keeps the
wheels turning. There are various volunteer opportunities opening. In general, here are six kinds
of work you can help with: preparing, delivering, serving, office, event planning, and safety
check.
Preparing work
Help kitchen by preparing meals and packing for delivery.
Delivering work
Pick up meals at a central location and hand-deliver them directly to the seniors homes.
Serving work
Serve food, assistant and clean up after meals served as a group social settings for seniors who
can still leave their homes.
Office
Help out in the office by contributing much-needed administrative support.
Event planning
Support a local fundraising event by planning, organizing, generating publicity and much more.
Safety check work
Support a local fundraising event by planning, organizing, generating publicity, setting up and
much more.
Contact The Center @ Jenks Rest at 765-429-6325 for specific positions offering at Lafayette
area. Sign up to become a verified volunteer at http://www.verifiedvolunteers.com/. When we all
do our small part, we can make great things happen!

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The Changes Meals on Wheels Made

Contact: Yajie Mu
Public Relations at Purdue University
Email: mu16@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-838-9494

Contact for More Information

Telephone: at (765) 429-MEAL or (765) 429-6325
Location: 685 N 36th St., Lafayette, IN 47905
Facebook: Meals on Wheels Tippecanoe County
Website: http://www.jenksrest.com/meals-on-wheels.html

Relevant Website
Meals on Wheels America:
http://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/
Meals on Wheels of Tippecanoe County Blog:
https://mealsonwheelsoftippecanoecounty.wordpress.com/
Sign up to be a verified volunteer:
http://www.verifiedvolunteers.com/
March for Meals:
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http://www.marchformeals.com/

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