Registration will close Thursday for the Senior Concerns Love Run, a chip-timed race that organizers hope will raise at least $60,000 for Meals on Wheels, which strives to end hunger and malnutrition among older adults. Proceeds will go to food costs and scholarships for Meals on Wheels programs in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park. “Our long-standing commitment to the community is to never turn anyone away regardless of their ability to pay,” said Andrea Gallagher, president of Senior Concerns in Thousand Oaks. “The Love Run helps ensure we can keep this commitment.” Now in its 20th year, the Love Run on Sunday will feature 5K, 10K and one-mile courses. Runners will start and end at 3011 Townsgate Road in Westlake Village. Before and after the race, participants can attend an expo and celebrate with friends and relatives, Gallagher said. “What makes the event so special is that every participant is helping ensure that homebound, hidden seniors on our community will have access to nutritious, freshly prepared meals,” she said. Participants will receive a gift bag containing a Vapur water bottle, Nathan Lock Laces, Ojio Sport electrolyte mix and Gogo Squeez apple sauce. The Kiwanis Club will serve free pancakes, and the Ventura County Health Care Agency will offer free blood pressure and body mass index screenings. “This is also a very local race with the majority of runners coming from the greater Conejo Valley area,” Gallagher said. Meals on Wheels delivers two meals 364 days per year. There is no service on Christmas. “Along with the meals, our participants have the added benefit of a daily visit from a caring and compassionate volunteer,” said Gallagher, adding that volunteers delivered 41,852 meals last year. The need for the program will grow, with more low-income seniors turning to Senior Concerns when they have no other options for obtaining healthful, nutritious meals, she said. “We have already witnessed the number of referrals from Los Robles Regional Medical Center increase as patients, primarily elderly women discharged from the hospital following falls, strokes and other illnesses, are being referred to the program for meal delivery,” Gallagher said. The problem is significant and growing, she said, adding that 16 percent of seniors in the Thousand Oaks community need help with food. “We have seen a 70 percent increase in food insecurity since 2005,” Gallagher said. “Food insecurity is predicted to increase another 70 percent by 2025.” Senior Concerns’ other services, including a caregiver support center, case management and advocacy services, pro bono legal and financial services, and community education, are offered free, Gallagher said. “We are committed to the community and committed to helping seniors and their families,” she said. If you go What: Love Run When: Sunday; Thursday registration deadline Where: 3011 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village Registration: http://loverun.seniorconcerns.org / Information: loverun@seniorconcerns.org ; 497-0189 More …
