A troupe of musicians who look and sound familiar to country music fans are banding together to help save the weekend Meals on Wheels program.

A Grand Ole Opry impersonation show March 3 at Cross Point Church of Christ in Florence will raise money for the program, which provides weekend meals to about 180 elderly or disabled residents of Colbert, Lauderdale and Franklin counties.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The weekend program, which is funded separately from weekday Meals on Wheels, is in danger of being eliminated for the second consecutive year. Program officials said $55,000 must be raised to pay for its operation this year.

Numerous people donated money to save the operation last year.

So far, residents, businesses and organizations have donated $27,823 this year to the weekend program, which is enough to pay for the weekend meals through June, said Tammy McDaniel, executive director of Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama. The agency operates the Meals on Wheels program in the three-county area.

McDaniel said the Grand Ole Opry show will provide a boost to the fundraising effort.

“I’m excited about the show,” she said. “This group does a tremendous job and their shows are always very entertaining.”

The impersonations will include Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Miranda Lambert, Gene Watson, Ronnie Milsap, Rosanne Cash, Tammy Wynette, The McGuire Sisters, Ferlin Husky, Sammy Smith, Buddy Holly and Carrie Underwood. All Starz Dance Academy’s competition dance team also will perform.

Admission is $8 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.

Dennis Odem, producer and director of the show, said the musicians were eager to help when they learned the Meals on Wheels weekend program needed money.

“Somebody told me the weekend meals program was about out of money and there were some good folks who needed help,” Odem said. “We have a really good show lined up. All of our performers are highly talented musicians.”

Odem said a recent Grand Ole Opry impersonation show in St. Joseph, Tenn., attracted a capacity crowd.

“We had a full house and had to turn some people away at the door,” he said. ”We raised $3,800 that night that the town is going to use to help pay for an Amber alert sign. We’re hoping for another packed house down here and to raise a lot of money for a great program.”

The weekend meals program provides frozen meals that recipients heat in a microwave oven. The meals are delivered by volunteers.

McDaniel said many of the recipients live alone and are unable to cook because of their age or disability. Without the Meals on Wheels program, some would likely eat only junk food on Saturdays and Sundays.

Donations for the weekend program can be mailed to Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama, 745 Thompson St., Florence, AL 35630, or made online through PayPal or a credit card at caanw.org. A link to the agency’s website is available at TimesDaily.com.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 256-740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.