The Meals on Wheels weekend food delivery to local senior citizens will end after March 31 unless residents make enough donations to extend the program.

As Meals on Wheels of Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties was about to end its weekend food program in 2011, generous residents, businesses, civic organizations and churches stepped forward to save the operation.

They are being asked to do it again this year.

Meals on Wheels, which provides meals for 180 elderly or disabled residents, will deplete its money for weekend food delivery March 31, according to Tammy McDaniel. As executive director of Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama, she is making a plea for help.

When she asked for aid in 2011, the community responded with almost $45,000 in six weeks.

But another year of service means another year of food to buy and deliver on Saturdays and Sundays.

“I really worry about the clients and what they will do if we lose the weekend meals program,” McDaniel said.

Volunteers deliver the weekend meals, which are a bargain at $2.90 each. The regular weekday meals program is supported by United Way, but the weekend program has been surviving on direct community donations.

Contributions 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.

Please give generously. We can’t think of a better service than helping feed the elderly and people whose disabilities make it difficult or impossible to prepare a meal.