Delivering more than meals …
Every day, the men and women who deliver meals perform wonders. Not only do they provide a hot nutritious meal to our homebound seniors who may not otherwise get one, but they also provide that social contact the senior may not have.
But more importantly, they provide a safety check that often proves to be the difference between life and death. We have many success stories to share of how our program makes a difference in the lives of our senior neighbors. Recently, we had a gentleman who started receiving meals with the closest relative living 45 minutes away and unable to check on him every day. One day, our volunteers were unable to deliver to our client, so we contacted his relative saying that he didn’t answer the door for his meal. His relative rushed to the house and found that he had fallen. Luckily, he was found in time and has safely recovered and returned to his home. Had it not been for Meals on Wheels, he may not have survived.
So we provide more than just a meal, but also a lifeline and a safety check. The relative was so appreciative of us keeping a watchful eye over their aging loved one. For our Beloit area seniors, Meals on Wheels is literally the difference between remaining in their own homes and needing to relocate to a nursing facility. For almost 50 years, we have continued our mission to help seniors remain independent and by providing nutritious meals and a daily check in. We are able to continue our mission thanks to the support of our community and our incredible core of volunteers who keep the wheels turning serving up friendships, smiles and nutritious meals 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Our program has grown considerably. In 2015, we served more than 32,000 meals – that’s a 22% increase from 2014. With the increase number of meals served also comes an increase cost of providing those meals. The “Gifts of Love” campaign was established in an effort to supplement our fund raising efforts so that no senior in our community is denied service due to inability to pay. Your gift can be used immediately for everyday operations, or set aside as a part of the Beloit Meals On Wheels endowment to ensure the future of our program.
We hope you will consider contributing to the financial health of our program, and the health of our Beloit area home bound seniors.
Thank you for your continued support, Beloit Meals On Wheels Board of Directors
