Salem County resident, Paul Fredericks receives a meal from Karlos Lasane, regional vice president for Harrah's Entertainment

/PRNewswire/ - Today, Meals on Wheels of Salem County (MOWSC), New Jersey, received a new meal delivery car courtesy of the Harrah's Foundation and the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). This is the 41st vehicle the Harrah's Foundation has underwritten for Meals On Wheels member programs across the country.

MOWSC currently delivers over 800 meals each week to Salem County residents and the 325 dedicated volunteers drive across the entire 360 square miles of the county. This new vehicle will help deliver 252 weekly meals to the frail, disabled clientele of MOWSC.

"The 41 meal delivery trucks and thousands of employee volunteers from Harrah's have enabled Meals On Wheels to deliver millions of meals to seniors across the country," said Enid Borden, president and chief executive officer of the Meals On Wheels Association of America. "We appreciate Harrah's unwavering support."

"Especially in today's challenging economic environment it is important to the Harrah's Foundation that we maintain our support of organizations that improve the quality of life for seniors in our communities," said Don Marrandino, president of the eastern division, Harrah's Entertainment and trustee of the Harrah's Foundation. "I challenge my colleagues in corporate America to join Harrah's in the Corporate Response to Senior Hunger program developed by Meals On Wheels; together we can eliminate senior hunger."

Meals on Wheels of Salem County, 2009 results:

• A total of 44,750 meals were delivered to 266 unduplicated elderly or disabled Salem County clients.


• Over 350 unduplicated volunteers donated 5,240 hours and drove 65,519 miles to deliver meals.


• Drivers covered all 360 square miles of Salem County on 10 weekday and one weekly frozen food route.

Meals on Wheels of Salem County Client Profile:

• Average age 83


• Unable to perform 2 or more acts of daily living


• Frail or disabled


• Salem County resident


• 22% minority


• 23% poverty (income below $10,400)


• 63% live alone


• 77% female, 33% male


• 8% are disabled ages 31-59 (not included in age of elderly)

ABOUT THE HARRAH'S FOUNDATION
The Harrah's Foundation is a private, 501(c)(3) foundation established to provide financial support to qualified organizations in communities where employees of Harrah's operating subsidiaries live and work. Established in 2002, the Harrah's Foundation is funded by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. portfolio of properties and supports social reinvestment programs by funding eligible 501(c)(3) organizations dedicated to seniors, education and civic programs. Since its formation, the Harrah's Foundation has committed over $70 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. More information is available at http://www.harrahsfoundation.com.

ABOUT THE MEALS ON WHEELS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest national organization composed of and representing local, community-based Senior Nutrition Programs in all 50 U.S. states, as well as the U.S. Territories. These local programs are our MOWAA Members.

All told, there are some 5,000 local Senior Nutrition Programs in the United States. These programs provide well over one million meals to seniors who need them each day. Some programs serve meals at congregate locations like senior centers, some programs deliver meals directly to the homes of seniors whose mobility is limited, and many programs provide both services.

While remarkable, the one million meals per day figure underestimates the size and shape of our network and its reach and influence in communities across America. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of seniors who receive meals, there are many thousands of professionals employed at the various local Senior Nutrition Programs across the U.S. More notable than that is the virtual army of volunteers who also "work" for these programs. It is said that this group, numbering between 800,000 and 1.2 million individuals, is the largest volunteer army in the nation.

ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS OF SALEM COUNTY, INC.
Meals on Wheels of Salem County, Inc. has been delivering nutritious meals since 1977 to elderly and disabled county residents who cannot shop for or prepare meals on their own because of physical or mental disabilities. The program's ability to grow from serving 3,930 meals to over 40,000 a year has depended upon our more than 325 volunteers who remain committed to our organizational mission. Learn more at www.mealsonwheelsnj.com.

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc

Harrah's Entertainment is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more Harrah's information, please visit: http://www.harrahs.com For more information on Harrah's corporate philanthropy programs, please go to http://www.harrahscommunityrelations.com.

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