Senior Wellness Day will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Kent Senior Center, 600 E. Smith St.

The free event is presented by the Kent Fire Department’s Fire Department Community, Assistance, Referrals, and Education Services (FDCARES) division to make those most prone to fall aware of the resources that are available to them.

Each year hundreds of local seniors suffer falls as a result of illness, injuries, medication, or general health. Falls are the No. 1 cause of emergency room treated injuries for people over the age of 50. Many of these people never regain full mobility or health, which adversely affects their quality of life from that point forward.

Many of these falls can be prevented through education, safety devices, and a home survey by the FDCARES program.

Senior Wellness Day will include $1 lunch for the first 200 people to obtain a voucher; FDCARES carrying bag; door prizes drawn from completed passports; blood pressure checks; blood sugar checks; 50 free flu shots provided by Valley Medical Golden Care; and vendor giveaways.

This year’s guest speaker Ginger “Mama” Passarelli, leader of the Soup Ladies, will share her amazing experiences of traveling throughout the country as the Soup Ladies provide food to those in need. The Soup Ladies assistance includes Hurricanes Katrina, Gustov, Ike, and Sandy; California wildfires; 2006 windstorm and 2009 flooding in Washington State; and the 2013 Oklahoma tornados.

In addition to helping those in areas of devastation, the Soup Ladies also support local emergency responders by providing food to rescuers at fires, search and rescue missions and major crime scenes.

For more about the FDCARES program, go to www.fdcares.org.