Walmart Foundation grant provides new oven and meals for Senior Resources’ Meals on Wheels program
August 25, 2016
Senior Resources has received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving program in support of its Meals on Wheels program. The funding is being used to replace a warming oven at one meal distribution site, and to provide meals to seniors in need.
“Thanks to generous corporate donors like the Walmart Foundation, we’ve made great strides in recent years to reduce our Meals on Wheels waiting list,” said Senior Resources Executive Director Pam Dukes. “As a result, we’ve had to replace a malfunctioning warming oven at our main distribution site with a larger, more efficient model.”
In addition, the grant will allow Senior Resources to add 11 new slots to the Meals on Wheels delivery routes and move new clients from the waiting list. Senior Resources served 95,000 meals to 574 elderly and disabled adults in FY2015, but the waiting list remains at about 300 people.
According to the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH), South Carolina ranks fourth-worst in the nation for senior hunger. More than 19 percent of South Carolina’s senior citizens are threatened with hunger, and Senior Resources is the only provider of Meals on Wheels services in Richland County.
“Walmart is committed to supporting programs like Senior Resources as part of our fight against hunger,” said Brooke Mueller, Director of Public Affairs for Walmart. “Through this grant, we can help address the growing demand for meals and services in the Midlands.”
Peggy Nemeth (left), manager of the West Columbia and Forest Drive Walmart stores, presents a check for $25,000 to Senior Resources Board President Ed Bell, Assistant Director of In-Home & Community-Based Services Stephanie Sears-Keene, and Director of In-Home & Community-Based Services Anne Shissias.
In 2015, community giving in South Carolina from Walmart stores, clubs and the Walmart Foundation totaled $30 million. The Walmart Foundation has supported the Senior Resources Meals on Wheels programs for the past three years, including a donation in 2015 that provided a catering van with hot and cold food storage compartments. The van proved critical in the week following the floods of October 2015, when Senior Resources was able to use it to continue service even when the distribution center was closed due to flood damage.
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. This is possible through the support of staff, volunteers and delaying or preventing institutionalization.
