LongHorn Steakhouse gives $1,000 grant to support Meals On Wheels
May 11, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – Senior Resources recently was selected by the LongHorn Steakhouse on Harbison Boulevard in Columbia to receive a $1,000 grant as part of the Restaurant Community Grants program from the Darden Restaurants Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants. Each restaurant in the Darden family awards a $1,000 grant to a nonprofit its community through the annual grants program.
“We’re proud to be able to support Senior Resources through our Restaurant Community Grants program,” said Stephanie Ghertner, Director of the Darden Foundation. “Our team members are incredibly passionate about getting involved in their local communities, and this program enables them to do just that.”
Senior Resources will use the gift to deliver nearly 150 hot meals to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program.
“We currently have a waiting list of senior citizens and disabled adults who don’t know whether they will be able to maintain an adequate diet due to financial and transportation constraints,” said Pam Dukes, Executive Director of Senior Resources. “In the face of rising costs and funding cuts, this gift from LongHorn Steakhouse and Darden Restaurants will allow us to serve more hungry seniors in our community.”
With a corps of more than 1,000 volunteers, the Meals on Wheels program delivers a hot, nutritious meal each day to clients’ homes. The nutritionally balanced meals provide one-third of the daily nutritional requirements for the homebound seniors.
“In most cases, the meal our volunteers deliver is the only meal of the day for the seniors we serve,” Dukes said. “Without meal delivery, many of our clients would be forced to choose between paying for food, or for medication and household expenses.”
According to the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH), South Carolina ranks eighth-worst in the nation for food instability among senior citizens. More than 18 percent of South Carolina’s senior citizens are threatened with hunger, according to a 2015 report from NFESH. Senior Resources is the only provider of Meals on Wheels services in Richland County.
About Senior Resources, Inc.
Senior Resources is a non-profit organization that coordinates services, provides resources and encourages the personal choices that allow Columbia’s senior citizens to remain independent. All activities, services and programs of the agency are geared toward promoting independent living, with the goal of helping seniors remain in their homes as long as possible through the support of staff and volunteers, and delaying or preventing institutionalization.
Since 1967, Senior Resources has served Columbia’s frail and elderly residents in three areas:
1) In-home services, including Meals on Wheels, home care, respite care, senior companion services, and case management;
2) Community-based services, including congregate meals, wellness centers, transportation, and physical fitness;
3) Volunteer services, including the Senior Companion program, Foster Grandparent program, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
With local, state and federal government funding, as well as contributions from United Way, personal donations and fundraising activities, Senior Resources offers a variety of programs so that our clients can select the assistance they need to maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle.
