For the News Tribune
KEYSER — Aging & Family Services of Mineral County has been awarded $15,000 through a Walmart Foundation grant to the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA).
The money will be used to help provide Aging & Family Services with a hot/cold meal delivery vehicle that will allow their meal delivery route to be extended.
This financial support is desperately needed, as many Meals On Wheels programs across the country are struggling to survive during this economic downturn, said Scott Mallery, director of the Mineral County program.
The Walmart Foundation Impact Grant is intended to help Aging & Family Services continue to meet the long term equipment needs of providing meals to our seniors in Mineral County.
Last year, many Meals
On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services, but the Walmart Foundation stepped in to help restore those meals. This year, the Walmart Foundation is spending more than $2 million nationwide to make sure Meals On Wheels programs have the equipment they need to maintain their operations into the future.
“Seniors have been hit especially hard in this economy and we feel a responsibility to help,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re proud to support Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. who work on the front lines of ending senior hunger.”
“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation Impact Grant, we now have better tools to keep feeding seniors for years to come,” said Scott Mallery, Executive Director of Aging & Family Services “This grant will help us provide the next meal to many of our clients in need and will truly make a difference for the seniors of Mineral County”
“Constraints of our current Meals on Wheels program places our service boundary at the Burger King on Route 220,” Mallery continued. “With the new hot/cold truck we will be able to expand our delivery route to the intersection of Pine Swamp road and then back through Stoney Run Road.”
Homebound seniors living in this area are encouraged to contact Aging & Family Services at 304-788-5467 to find out more about the extended route of the Meals on Wheels program.
“The Walmart Foundation has once again stepped up to the plate as a powerful partner in the fight to end senior hunger,” said Enid Borden, president and CEO of MOWAA. “They are our largest corporate partner to date and their support will make a tremendous impact in helping our programs sustain meal services well into the future.
“We can’t thank the Walmart Foundation enough for joining us in our national movement to end senior hunger in America by 2020.”
Late last year MOWAA released a groundbreaking study revealing six million seniors in America face the risk of hunger. The report, entitled, “Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas” was sponsored by MOWAA and shows that the number of seniors facing the hunger risk jumped an astonishing 20 percent in just one year. The Walmart Impact Grant Program is intended to help combat the problem of senior hunger.
Aging & Family Services of Mineral County began providing services for the people of the community in 1974. Over time, Aging & Family Services has become a diverse organization administering many programs that provide nutrition, home based care, basic living needs and important referral and networking services to assist residents in locating resources that can serve their needs.
Aging and Family Services of Mineral County offers the senior citizen programs to fit their individual needs. The purpose of Aging and Family Services is to provide the senior citizen with a full range of services structured to enhance the quality of their lives, maintain independence, and prevent premature nursing home placement. For more information you can contact the agency at 304-788-5467.
Keyser, W.Va. —
