TJX Foundation awards $5,000 grant to reduce Meals On Wheels waiting list
October 28, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – The TJX Foundation, the philanthropic arm of TJX Companies (T.J. Maxx, Home Goods and Marshall’s) this week granted $5,000 to Senior Resources to help combat the issue of senior hunger.
Dean Long, manager of the Harbison T.J. Maxx store, presented the check to Senior Resources Executive Director Pam Dukes and Director of In-Home and Community-Based Services Anne Shissias. Senior Resources will use the gift to deliver more than 650 hot meals to homebound seniors through the Meals On Wheels program.
Pictured left to right: Dean Long, Pam Dukes and Anne Shissias
“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 generous gift from the TJX 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 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 seventh-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 2014 report from NFESH. Senior Resources is the only provider of Meals on Wheels services in Richland County.
The TJX Foundation focuses on programs that provide basic-need services to disadvantaged children, women, and families. In 2013, The Foundation funded over 1,800 nonprofit organizations in the U.S., and, on a global basis, over 2,300 organizations received support from TJX and The TJX Foundation.
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.
