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Local Voices

Save a Life, Mid-East Area Agency on Agency's March for Meals

Agency Seeks Volunteers, Donations to Help Meet Growing Need to Help Homebound Seniors

March for Meals Community Champions Week is March 17-21

 

An estimated one of every six seniors in America is threatened by hunger, according to the Meals on Wheels Association of America. That number has grown by 88 percent in the past decade and 42 percent since the start of the recession in 2008.

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In St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin Counties, the Mid-East Area Agency on Aging (MEAAA) works to respond to this challenge, operating the region’s largest Meals on Wheels program. The agency provides nutritious meals to nearly 2,500 homebound senior citizens each day. Meals are delivered by volunteers, and the cost is supported by donations from area foundations, corporations and individuals.

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During March, MEAAA’s March for Meals campaign seeks to raise awareness of senior hunger and to generate greater volunteer and financial support. Volunteers are asked to “give an hour or more” to help deliver meals, with the hope that many will continue to volunteer on an ongoing basis. Donations are also needed to help defray the cost of meals and transportation reimbursements. MEAAA estimates the cost of one meal at $3; a donation of $100 will feed one senior for an entire month; $1,000 will fund meals for 10 seniors for one month.

 

During the week of March 17-21, local municipal mayors and other officials plan to participate in MEAAA’s Community Champions Week, serving as volunteer meal deliverers to help draw attention to this cause. Volunteers or those wishing to donate should call (636) 207-0847.

 

WHEN:         The March for Meals Campaign runs throughout March. The Community Champions Week runs from March 17-21. Individual “champions” (elected officials from local and state entities) will be delivering meals during this week.

 

WHAT:         MEAAA Meals On Wheels offers a hot nutritious noontime meal that provides at least one-third of an adult's daily nutritional requirement.  The meals are delivered to the home Monday-Friday by trained volunteers. Meals are provided on a short or long term basis to homebound seniors 60 years or older who are unable to prepare a nutritionally balanced noon meal for themselves and are unable to attend congregate meal sites at the MEAAA Senior Centers. Requests for MOW services may come from seniors, community agencies such as social services, hospital, doctors, or family members. There are no financial eligibility requirements to be enrolled in the program.

 

                         March for Meals is a national campaign during the month of March, initiated by the Meals On Wheels Association of America, which seeks to raise awareness of senior hunger and to encourage action on the part of the local community. It is also intended to help recruit new volunteers from the community and to increase fundraising from local businesses and supporters.

 

                         The Community Champions Week is a week-long event designed to encourage local elected officials, business leaders and others to participate in the campaign by making a donation or helping to deliver meals to homebound senior clients. Nearly 100 community leaders are being recruited as part of this campaign to raise awareness of this growing need.

 

WHY:            Across America, an estimated 8.8 million seniors face the threat of hunger. In the St. Louis region. In MEAAA’s four-county service area, as many as 64,000 seniors (15 percent of the 384,000 adults age 60 and older) experience the threat of hunger each week.

 

                         MEAAA is committed to ending senior hunger in our community and to reducing the isolation experienced by so many older adults. Often the MEAAA volunteer may be the only person the senior sees all day, providing human contact and a safety net, particularly for those who live alone.  MEAAA Meals On Wheels is more than a just a hot lunch. The volunteers who deliver the meals provide a daily contact and “well-being” check for seniors who are alone during the day.


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