Amanda Hope, Patty Blatus, Danny Trennepohl, Bill Kennedy, Liz Bruner, Kainoa Rosa, Brittany Jackson and Rob Tench PHOTO BY STEPHANIE LABAFF

Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club members and guests raced to the finish line at their 21st annual 5K Walk/Run to benefit the Senior Resource Association Meals on Wheels program.

The sweat and generosity of 74 race participants and 100 sponsors raised $23,000 that will go directly toward providing daily hot meals to homebound local seniors. In addition to delivering nutritional meals, SRA volunteers conduct daily wellness checks and make much-needed human connections. For many of these seniors, it is the only face-to-face contact they have.

Liz Bruner, SRA vice president of philanthropy, said there are currently some 300 seniors on the Meals on Wheels wait list, 100 more than last year.

“Our members really look forward to this each year,” said Rob Tench, Orchid Island general manager.

The committee selects a different beneficiary each year, explained Bill Kennedy, Orchid’s board of governors’ racquets and fitness committee chair.

“We usually do things that benefit youth. This year, we said, ‘Why don’t we do something that benefits senior citizens?’ We like to support nonprofits that our members support to leverage their contributions. Several of our members were involved with this charity, and we thought it was a good thing for us to be involved in,” said Kennedy.

“It’s a small way in which we can give back to the community and help those that are in need of food. We hope people will see that the need is there and step up and support Meals on Wheels,” said Tench.

Kennedy said it is imperative that the charity they select is local and that the money stays in Vero Beach.

“We’re part of the community. We live here too. We like to give back to the community,” he added.

In addition to Meals on Wheels, the Senior Resource Association works to improve the quality of life for seniors with programs such as Day Away, Public Guardianship, In-Home services, emergency alert services, energy bill assistance, medical equipment, and transportation through the Community Coach and GoLine.

For more information, visit SeniorResourceAssociation.org.

Photos by Stephanie LaBaff