LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task
Force, Inc. upon the occasion of receiving the Organization of the Year
Award from the Clarence Chamber of Commerce on February 25, 2010

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those organiza-
tions and individuals who devote themselves to the welfare of the commu-
nity and its citizenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc. upon the occasion of
receiving the Organization of the Year Award from the Clarence Chamber
of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc. will be
honored at the Clarence Chamber of Commerce's Annual Awards Dinner to be
held at Samuel's Grande Manor on Thursday, February 25, 2010; and
WHEREAS, In its 25th year of service to the communities of Clarence,
Akron and Newstead, Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that
provides home delivered nutritious, low cost meals to seniors and those
convalescing or with mental and physical disabilities; and
WHEREAS, On May 28, 1985, Meals on Wheels began serving meals out of
the Clarence Senior Center; they provided service to 48 clients on four
different routes; and
WHEREAS, Even as they began service, Meals on Wheels was struggling to
find additional funding; to bridge the gap, officials reached out to the
areas they served, looking for funding to support their routes; in
Clarence and Newstead, the communities joined together and the
Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force was formed; and
WHEREAS, The Task Force itself was a loosely knit-group, with repre-
sentation from each of the community's service organizations; its
original mandate was to provide funding for one of the four routes, and
the Task Force did so by creating an annual event, Harvest Happenings;
and
WHEREAS, Each fall for the next 15 years, Harvest Happenings trans-
formed Clarence Town Park; true to its roots, every one of Clarence's
non-profit service groups helped make Harvest Happenings work, building
scarecrows and staffing the event; and
WHEREAS, The group was careful to provide affordable family fun, built
around the notion that a family of four could all enjoy Harvest
Happenings for just twenty dollars; as a result of participation from
local companies and countless individuals this was made possible; and
WHEREAS, As the hard-working volunteers of the Meals on Wheels program
continued to take on additional routes and members, the Task Force
responded by creating an endowment fund, allowing for a permanent source
of funding for local Meals on Wheels services; and
WHEREAS, In 2000, Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc.
realized they needed to expand beyond Harvest Happenings; the group
began experimenting with other fundraising alternatives, beginning with
Monte Carlo Nights, fundraising dinners and a Night of Magic; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, a local company, Rock Oak Estates, sponsored the
"Barn Dance" which drew about 250 people; Paul Stephen, proprietor of
Rock Oak Estates, presented the idea to the Clarence-Newstead Meals on
Wheels Task Force, Inc.; the following year, the event was renamed, new
bands were added, flyers were placed around town and "Rock the Barn" was
born; and

WHEREAS, Paul Justinger, long-time Task Force member, became Chair of
the Force in 2007; he merged the efforts of the Task Force with Paul
Stephen's event; with the combined effort, "Rock the Barn" has quickly
grown to become a Clarence tradition; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, with Paul Stephen now serving as Chair, "Rock the
Barn" had its most successful year ever; the funding could not have come
at a better time as the Meals on Wheels volunteers delivered nearly
28,000 meals on seven different routes in the area throughout the year;
and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
recognize the Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc. for its
unwavering commitment to the citizens of Clarence, New York, as it
provides an uncompromising standard of excellence in the delivery of
superlative community service; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when organiza-
tions of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc. upon the
occasion of receiving the Organization of the Year Award from the
Clarence Chamber of Commerce on February 25, 2010; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force, Inc.