Senior Resources Receives Gift from Food Lion
July 7, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – Senior Resources has received a $2,500 grant from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation to help address the issue of senior hunger. Senior Resources will use the gift to deliver more than 325 meals to homebound seniors through its Meals on Wheels program.
“We currently have about 200 seniors on our waiting list 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 generous gift from the Food Lion Charitable Foundation 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 continued. “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, South Carolina ranks tenth-worst in the nation for food instability among senior citizens. Senior Resources is the only provider of Meals on Wheels services in Richland County.
Established in 2001, the Food Lion Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations dedicated to feeding the hungry in the communities it serves. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than $9 million in grants.
About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, now has more than 1,100 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Food Lion is a company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.
About Food Lion Feeds
For more than 50 years, Food Lion has been a strong philanthropic partner in the communities it serves. As a grocer, Food Lion’s business is food. The company believes that no one should have to choose between dinner and paying rent or gasoline and buying groceries. Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion is working to create a better tomorrow by uniting with customers and partners to eliminate the choices families are forced to make when they are hungry. By the end of 2020, the company has pledged to provide 500 million meals to families in need in its local communities. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com/feeds.
About Senior Resources: 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.
For more information, visit seniorresourcesinc.org.
