STRUTHERS — Maplecrest Nursing Home hosted a hot dog drive-thru fundraising event Thursday to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2026 Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“All the proceeds are going to the Alzheimer’s Association,” Tiffany Crane, admission coordinator for Maplecrest, said. “That is taking place on Oct. 10 at the Watson and Tressel Training Site down at [Youngstown State University.”

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s, also called the Memory Walk, is a nationwide event meant to raise money for patients with Alzheimer’s and to raise awareness of the disease. The walk also features followers meant to represent people affected by Alzheimer’s in some way.

“When you walk in the walk, there’s different colored flowers that represent … either caregivers, or somebody who lost somebody to the disease, or somebody who cares for somebody with the disease, or even perhaps someone who has been diagnosed with the disease themselves,” said Lisa Daprile, co-owner of Maplecrest. “It’s just something that has affected many, many people, and it’s just a show of support for all of them.

This is the fourth year that Maplecrest has hosted an Alzheimer’s fundraising event, and is one of their largest events of the year.

“This is one of our big fundraisers. Kind of a community event as well, so a lot of local businesses come,” Daprile said. “We just sent 40 meals, plus 40 extra hot dogs on behalf of the Struthers Rotary Club, who purchased them to feed all of the city and park workers here in Struthers.”

Aside from the Struthers Rotary Club, other local businesses and partners of Maplecrest have participated in the fundraiser and purchased meals. This includes Sanctuary Hospice of Ohio.

“We have Medi-RX, our pharmacy who services our building,” Daprile said. “We have hospice providers that came in. Sanctuary is the one that came out in support of our event today.”

Daprile also praised the staff of Maplecrest for their work during the fundraiser, saying “all of our staff is just very compassionate and caring.”

Anyone interested can register for the Mahoning Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website.