Chairwomen of “A Meal To Remember”
Marsha Middleton was asked to get involved with Meals On Wheels Atlanta by good friend and TV personality Monica Pearson in 2012, but at the time she really didn’t know the impact of the organization. She quickly discovered that 95 percent of Meals On Wheels Atlanta’s client are African-American women in their 70’s who worked most of their lives in hourly wage jobs, raised families and are now widowed and living alone on an income below the federal poverty level.
In fact, 50 percent of Meals On Wheels Atlanta clients report that they also fully or partially support grandchildren. Geographically speaking, the majority of these clients live in central and south Fulton County, which when compared with other counties in the region, has the highest percentage of senior residents who live in poverty (12%), live alone (nearly 50%) and have difficulty leaving the house (25%).
She was moved to take action, and has worked to raise the visibility of the organization and its mission, culminating in its 50th anniversary year this year. Marsha is co-chairing A Meal to Remember gala, Meals On Wheels Atlanta’s largest annual fundraiser in its 28th year. The event will feature three France-based chefs who are donating their time and talents to serve 375 supporters on Friday, November 6, 2015 at The St. Regis Atlanta at 7 p.m.
While the gala generates as much as 70 percent of the organization’s annual funds, Marsha hopes to also raise awareness about African American seniors in need, and the growing aging population of baby boomers who want to stay as independent for as long as possible. Currently one in six seniors in Georgia is food insecure and many of those are African-American.
Beyond co-chairing, Marsha walks the walk. She and her entire family spend Thanksgiving delivering meals to seniors in need.
Middleton was born and raised in London, England, graduated cum laude from Florida A&M University and began her career as a public relations manager with Habitat for Humanity. She has also worked at The Home Depot and the Four Seasons in public relations roles. In 2008, she started her own Public Relations company, M-Squared Public Relations.
