WAUKEGAN - Lake County mayors will deliver nutritious Meals on Wheels lunches to Lake County homebound seniors Wednesday, March 19, in conjunction with Catholic Charities Lake County Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels programs. The event will kick off the national Mayors for Meals campaign, promoted by the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA).

The mayors, as well as Catholic Charities’ staff and board members, will meet at the Avalon Restaurant, 4821 Grand Ave., Gurnee, Ill., at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 19. From there, the elected officials will go to various distribution sites to deliver meals. Lake County mayors Kristina Kovarik of Gurnee, Leon Rockingham of North Chicago and Richard Hyde of Waukegan are all regular drivers for the Meals on Wheels program.

Catholic Charities coordinates the Meals on Wheels program throughout Lake County. Last year, about 550 volunteer drivers delivered approximately 145,000 meals last year to about 925 homebound seniors who had no one to assist them with food purchases or preparation. Volunteer drivers are private citizens, church groups of all denominations, corporate teams and volunteers from Great Lakes Navy Base. The program also served 39,000 meals to 1,791 seniors at two senior centers and six community nutrition sites. Please contact Catholic Charities at (847) 782-4267 for information on the program.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Lake County Mayors, including Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Hainesville Mayor Ted Mueller, Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky, Island Lake Mayor Thomas Hyde, Lake Zurich Mayor John Tolomei, Libertyville Mayor Jeff Harger, Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes, Round Lake Park Mayor Jean McCue, Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde, Wadsworth Mayor Glenn Ryback, and Fox Lake Mayor Cindy Irwin will deliver meals to seniors Wednesday, March 19, 2008. More detailed information about the delivery sites will be available before the event.

Now in its 90th year, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is the largest private, not-for-profit social service agency in the Midwest, annually assisting 1.1 million persons in Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background. Catholic Charities fulfills the Church's role in the mission of charity by providing compassionate, competent, professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families and communities