AUBURN, ME—SeniorsPlus, the designated Agency on Aging for Western Maine, will hold a breakfast to benefit its Meals on Wheels nutrition program. The 2025 Fill the Plate Breakfast will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday, March 21, at the Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch in Auburn. The breakfast will honor Lewiston resident Margaret Craven with the 2025 Ikaria Award.

For the keynote, singer Julia Gagnon will give a talk titled The Music in My Veins. Tickets are $30 per person ($35 at the door) and are available at www.seniorsplus.org/march-for-meals or by calling 207-795-4010. Seats are limited and advance registration is recommended.

Margaret Craven will be the recipient of the 2025 Ikaria Award, which recognizes an individual or organization for singular and outstanding contributions toward improving the lives of older adults. A resident of Lewiston, Craven recently stepped down from the Maine State Legislature after serving in the House for nine years and the Senate for six. She holds a master’s degree in adult education from USM Gorham and an undergraduate degree in social sciences from USM.

In a talk titled “The Music in My Veins,” singer Julia Gagnon will reflect on her upbringing and the people who helped her carve a path from Cumberland, Maine, to the 22nd season of “American Idol.” Gagnon is a student at the University of Southern Maine.

Ikaria is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is considered one of the world’s five “Blue Zones” – places where an estimated one in three members of the population regularly lives an active life into their 90s.

The Fill the Plate Breakfast is presented in conjunction with March for Meals, a national campaign of the Meals on Wheels America. The fundraiser is made possible by the support of major sponsor Andwell Health Partners and additional sponsors Northeast Bank, Vital I/O, AARP Maine, Berman & Simmons, and Richard Brothers Financial Advisors.

Last year, SeniorsPlus delivered 147,000 meals to more than 1,000 homebound older adults and adults with disabilities in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties through its Meals on Wheels program.  Each meal provides one third of the recommended daily allowance of nutrition, a safety check, and a visit to these vulnerable adults. The majority of the clients of Meals on Wheels are lower income or on fixed income.

The overall program goal of SeniorsPlus is to assist older adults and adults with disabilities in our tri-county area to remain at home safely for as long as possible .The overwhelming majority of older adults (greater than 95% in an AARP survey) wish to remain at home until they die. The Meals on Wheels program provides nourishment, socialization and regular safety checks.

Since 1972, SeniorsPlus has been improving the lives of older adults and adults with disabilities. As the designated Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine, SeniorsPlus provides statewide services with an emphasis on Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties for core services (ie nutrition and information and assistance) that support independent living, healthy aging, and fight isolation. The mission of SeniorsPlus is to enrich the lives of older people and adults with disabilities, their families and communities, and to support them to make informed choices. SeniorsPlus envisions a future where all older adults and individuals with disabilities are engaged and respected while living quality, independent lives in the communities of their choice. Annually, SeniorsPlus serves 8,000 individuals and fields 101,000 phone inquiries. SeniorsPlus offers a network of support, including information and assistance, short-term care management, Medicare counseling, caregiver support and respite, health and wellness education, benefits counseling, and Meals on Wheels and congregate dining. 

Former Maine State Legislator Margaret Craven will be honored with the 2025 Ikaria Award on Friday, March 21 at the Fill the Plate Breakfast to benefit Meals on Wheels at SeniorsPlus.