Woodman’s Pantry Partner: Beloit Woodman’s has selected BMOW as the “Pantry Partner” for their “Check Out Hunger” campaign. The campaign runs 11/1 – 12/24/19. The store employees voted for us to receive half of the Check Out Hunger donations (the other half goes to the regional food bank Second Harvest). Check out Hunger bags are sold for $5.99 for customers to purchase. At the end of the campaign, we will receive gift cards to purchase food to give to our clients, and also approximately 70 – 100 bags to pick-up and distribute to our clients.
Welcome new board members: This year we welcomed new board members Michelle Fitzgerald, Amy Lokrantz, Steve Neas, Danny Sawyer and Ed Hansen to our board of directors. For a complete list, visit our website at https://beloitmealsonwheels.org/about-us/
Beloit Rotary Grant & Fundraiser: The Beloit Rotary Club and Rotary International granted us $2,900 to purchase two new ovens and 10 new thermal bags for our meal delivery. They also had a fundraiser in support of our organization on October 10th. The money raised from the raffle baskets, silent auction and 50/50 drawing will go to offset food costs for our clients. Another benefit is that we have signed up some new volunteers from the club. A big thank you goes out to Rotarians Cathy Niliaram and Mary Kaminski for all their hard work on this project in support of our organization.
Kerry – Midwest Food Matters Gala: Kerry Ingredients was an honoree at the Midwest Food Matters Gala in Chicago on October 24. Being an honoree, they were able to select a local non-profit to receive a portion of the net contributions from the Gala and they Beloit Meals on Wheels. The amount of the contribution is unknown as of this writing, but any amount will help feed our Beloit home bound seniors. Thank you, Kerry, for all of your contributions in the community and continued support of our mission!
Linda Dalton Senior Service Award – Will Anderson from Beloit Senior Fair committee contacted me and presented our organization as the winner of the Linda Dalton Senior Service Award. He and the committee members, John Kalkirtz, Debbie Kraus and Linda Dalton came to our office for a photo shoot and we were selected as the first award winner of $500.
Client Review: During the month of October, we conducted our annual client review with the help of our staff, volunteers Lina Bennett and Linda Klebsdel, and UW Milwaukee Intern Teylor Riddle. This allows us to not only verify that we have their emergency contacts up-to-date, but also check on any changes of condition and conduct a nutritional assessment.
We need more volunteers!
Senior hunger is on the rise and the need is only going to get greater. Our program is vital in the fight against hunger and we are serving approximately 112 clients Monday through Friday, and approximately 35 clients on each Saturday and Sunday. To accommodate the increase in clients means we will have to add more routes which means we will need more volunteers. Currently, we do not have a waitlist for clients but if we don’t add a new route soon, a waitlist could be a possibility. Another reason we need more volunteers is because life happens, and issues arise when volunteers need to take a break. They may need time away to take care of themselves due to an illness, or could be taking care of a sick spouse, or lucky for them they are a snowbird and take time off during winter months. So spread the word about our need for more volunteers. Word of mouth is our best way to promote our program, so as you sit around the dining table this holiday season, please share your volunteer experience with friends, family, co-workers and how rewarding the experience can be! Use your lunch break to make someone’s day!
Loads 2 Success Program: This is the second year that we have partnered with the Loads 2 Success program. This laundry program is run by the Beloit Memorial High School disabled students and instills life skills and independence by teaching students how to properly sort, clean, and fold laundry. It’s a free program for our clients since doing laundry often becomes a safety issue and a difficult chore. The program is offered during the academic year and they can launder clothes, sheets, towels, and undergarments.
Subaru Share the Love Event. We are again participating in the annual 2019 Subaru Share the Love Event by distributing blizzard boxes to our home bound clients. What is a blizzard box? It’s a box of nonperishables that is delivered to our clients that can be stored away and sit on their shelf if the weather prevents regular meal delivery. Our clients are depending on us to have meals delivered every single day – and there may be times when we’re just not going to be able to get our meals out there if the weather turns ugly. This past February, with the polar vortex and snow, these boxes came in quite handy since we had to cancel meal delivery two different times. We’ll cross our fingers that Mother Nature will be kind to us this winter season.
We want to thank the following businesses for donating nonperishables for the boxes, they are Hormel Foods, Seneca Foods, Frito Lay (Chuck Wilson), Walgreens on Broad Street, North Atlantic Specialty Bag, Tricor Insurance and All Saints Academy in Rockford who created the Share the Love cards! Assembly of the blizzard boxes will take place on November 25, with distribution in early December.
How does this benefit us? Through this event, as a member of Meals on Wheels America, Beloit Meals on Wheels will receive a share of the donation from Subaru vehicles sold at participating Subaru Retailers. The more we participate and promote the event, the more shares of revenue we earn. Over the last three years we have averaged around $5,000 in grant money from this event.
Over the past 11 years, Subaru and its retailers have helped Meals on Wheels to deliver more than 2.2 million meals nationwide to seniors in need through their Subaru Share the Love Event.
How does it work? During November 14, 2019, through January 2, 2020, for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased, Subaru will donate $250 to the customer’s choice of participating charities.* Meals on Wheels is one of four national participating charities and has been since the inception of the event.
I know that not all of you are in the market to purchase a new car, but if you are, please look into the Subaru Share the Love Event (https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/take-action/donate/corporate-giving/share-the-love) to learn more.
If you’re not shopping for a new vehicle, you can still help by spreading the word to your family and friends. Forward this email or share our posts about the 2019 Share the Love Event on Facebook!
Old Man Winter sends a Reminder to our Volunteers
It’s the winter season and we need to be watchful of the weather. If you have all-wheel or 4-wheel drive and want to be added to our “extreme weather” volunteer list, please contact the office.
Here are a few reminders for winter meal delivery:
- Wear appropriate clothing: boots, gloves, hats, etc.
- Drive careful and be watchful at slippery intersections.
- Be cautious when walking on sidewalks and up steps.
When delivering meals:
- Please check to see if their sidewalk / driveway is shoveled.
- Ask clients if they have heat.
- If they need anything, please let the office know.
Phone Pals
We are wanting to start a new program called Phone Pals to stay connected with our clients and in an effort to decrease their feelings of isolation and loneliness. We are looking for volunteers to regularly call clients on the phone 1 – 2 days a week. If you’re interested in helping us out, please contact the office.
