Press Releases
For Immediate ReleaseFriday, December 2, 2011
Need for Holiday Meals on Wheels Rises
Southfield, Mich. (December 1, 2011) – The Holiday Meals on Wheels program, delivering warm, nutritious holiday meals to homebound older adults and persons with disabilities on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Day, Easter and Passover, has experienced an increase in demand in southeastern Michigan.
“The number of requests for meals is up this year by as much as nine percent from 2010 in our region,” said Tina Abbate Marzolf, Chief Executive Officer of the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B), which funds Meals on Wheels programs in Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair and Washtenaw Counties. “We know our population is aging and the struggling economy has greatly impacted our seniors.”
Many seniors in the six-county region served by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B depend on Meals on Wheels for their daily nutrition and many would otherwise spend the holiday hungry or alone. About 7,300 meals will be delivered across the region over the six holidays.
Government funding covers the cost of Meals on Wheels delivered Monday through Friday, but it does not cover the cost of holiday meals. The average cost of a holiday meal is $6.00. The AAA 1-B must raise funds to cover the costs of these special meals. According to Steve Haveraneck, Vice President of Emerald Food Service in Troy – one of 14 nutrition providers funded by the AAA 1-B to provide holiday meals – volunteers are what insure that this program is viable. Volunteers like Jim Forrer of Troy know first-hand how the program impacts recipients.
“Delivering meals to older adults during the past nine years has opened my eyes to how many seniors are truly suffering in our community, which is one of the richest counties in southeastern Michigan,” said volunteer Jim Forrer. “I visit seniors and people with disabilities every week who are sitting in dark rooms alone with little or nothing to eat and they are so grateful. If we all just do a little, we can truly make a difference.”
The Holiday Meals on Wheels program provides a warm, nutritious meal on the holidays to the most vulnerable individuals – homebound seniors who are no longer able to drive to the grocery store, have limited mobility, and are unable to cook their own meal. More than 37 percent of the program’s recipients are over age 84, and over 53 percent live alone. The meal is delivered by a volunteer who is often the only person the older adult sees on the holiday, and whose visit often represents more than just food, but a gift of friendship and compassion.
“The AAA 1-B relies on financial support from the public to fund these holiday deliveries,” said Abbate Marzolf. “ We want to insure every senior that needs a meal gets one and does not spend the holidays hungry or alone.”
Contributions to the Holiday Meals on Wheels program can be made by calling the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at 800-852-7795, or donating online.
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