Don Harden

LEWISTON — Don Harden will be honored with the 2021 Ikaria Award for his work with older people at the annual Fill the Plate Breakfast, to be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday, March 19.

The virtual event will benefit Meals on Wheels at SeniorsPlus, the designated Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine.

Richard Blanco, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets cost $20 a person and are available at seniorsplus.org/march-for-meals or by calling 207-795-4010. Advance registration is required by Wednesday, March 17.

Proceeds will benefit Meals on Wheels of Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties.

The Ikaria Award honors an individual in the community for singular and outstanding contributions toward improving the lives of older adults. Don Harden is the former director of aging services at Catholic Charities Maine where he was employed for 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Maine Council on Aging where he serves as vice chair. He has been active on committees and a legislative commission to address long-term care workforce challenges. His passions are healthy aging and addressing ageism.

The Fill the Plate Breakfast is presented in conjunction with March for Meals, a national campaign of the Meals on Wheels America.

Last year, Meals on Wheels and its congregate dining services provided 205,000 meals to more than 2,000 homebound older adults and adults with disabilities in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, almost doubling the number of meals of the previous year.

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