In Our World of Plenty, How Many Seniors Live on the Edge?
April 22, 2013
I remember the comments of a senior and recent immigrant who said that the first time she walked into an American grocery store she cried. She was overwhelmed by the sight of so much food. She said it was beautiful to see. Another immigrant senior told me that she thought everyone in the United States was rich. I asked her how she defined wealth and she said that most people had two televisions, two cars, lived in a house with land and had all the food they needed. In these days it is a luxury to have access to all the food you need.
Fiscal Cliff Brings Uncertainity
January 18, 2013
This season we all felt how uncertain life can be. Loss of control for the well-being of your family and yourself leaves you frightened and helpless. As we listened to the “fiscal cliff” debate, I wondered how our seniors felt about the talk of eliminating Meals on Wheels. Many elders surely felt helpless and in despair.
We Are a Lifeline for Seniors
July 13, 2012
For many of us, lack of food is not in our realm of thinking. Of course, we may have not had time to get to the grocery store this week or our meeting ran late and we skipped lunch. But we are not “food insecure”. The 17,000 individuals that we serve annually are usually food insecure because of inconsistent quantities of food, lack of financial or physical ability to acquire food, or the inability to prepare meals.
April is National Volunteer Month
April 16, 2012
Seniors are struggling more than ever to meet their basic nutritional needs. Every year Loaves & Fishes Centers receives more than 2,000 requests for Meals-On-Wheels, mostly because of a senior’s inability to care for herself or because of a physical or emotional condition. This year our most significant growth is in our dining rooms. More than 16,000 more meals have been served in our centers in the first eight months of this year compared to last year. Strain on personal budgets is a key factor for the increase.
No One Who Comes to Our Center is Alone
January 13, 2012
As we enjoyed celebrating the holiday season with our families in December, thousands of seniors without family or connections celebrated with the “family” they have found at their Loaves & Fishes center. I was visiting with a senior volunteer at one of our meals sites who told me that “no one who comes to our center is alone. We wrap them up in our friendship and they become part of our family.”
Hunger Among the Elderly is Growing
July 20, 2011
A recently-released report from Bernard Sanders, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, states that hunger rates among our elderly population continues to be a growing crisis. Incidents of hunger have more than doubled for poor seniors in the United States in recent years.
Defining Your Legacy
April 29, 2011
Some people, who are touched by our services during their lives, have left gifts in their estates to be used to continue our mission of providing nutritious meals and social contact for seniors. During the past two years of economic challenges, these special bequests have made a significant difference in allowing us to maintain services to so many in need of nutritional support.
