Friday April 26, 2024
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
SubscribeLouisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program announced its support and participation in the 16th annual March for Meals – the month-long, nationwide celebration of Meals on Wheels and the homebound and vulnerable seniors who rely on this vital safety net.
“The services that we provide the seniors of Louisville are critical and the need is rapidly increasing,” said Faith Aeilts, program manager for the city’s Senior Nutrition Program, part of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services. “Together, we can keep seniors living independently, healthier at home and feeling more connected to their community as they age.”
The Senior Nutrition Program works year-round to help seniors stay healthy by providing hot, nutritious meals. Through the Meals on Wheels program, hundreds of volunteers helped deliver over 100,000 hot noontime meals last year to qualified individuals. Another 90,000 meals were served to active seniors at more than 20 congregate meal sites, which offer seniors an opportunity for a nutritious lunch, socialization and activities.
“This March, hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs will rally their communities to build the support that will enable them to deliver nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to America’s most at-risk seniors all year long,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “With the demand for Meals on Wheels increasing along with our country’s senior population, we need to ensure that seniors are not forgotten.”
To spotlight important services provided by the Senior Nutrition Program and to help recruit volunteers, Mayor Greg Fischer, six Louisville Metro Council members and other local leaders will help deliver meals to homebound seniors during March. This Week, March 19 – 23, the following individuals will deliver meals: Council Members Jessica Green (District 1), Barbara Sexton Smith (District 4), Brandon Coan (District 8), Bill Hollander (District 9), Pat Mulvihill (District 10), and Vicki Aubrey Welch (District 13) along with Becky Peak, Mayor of the City of Plantation.
Mayor Fischer will deliver meals on March 22 in the Buechel area. Resilience and Community Services Director Gena Redmon and Chief Resilience Officer Eric Friedlander will also be participating this month as well.
The Senior Nutrition Program seeks volunteers all year long to help in a variety of capacities, including packaging and serving meals at one of the congregate sites, and delivering meals to homebound clients. For more information about volunteering, call (502) 574-6420. Volunteer drivers are especially needed for routes in the west and south ends of Louisville. To make a financial donation to Meals on Wheels, click here for Louisville Metro’s secure on-line donation form.
Meals on Wheels is available to qualified seniors in Jefferson County, 60 years or older, who are homebound with no one available to help prepare meals. Seniors who would like to receive Meals on Wheels can call (502) 574-6325 to begin the qualification process. The senior congregate sites for more active seniors, 60 and older, can be found by calling the same number above or by visiting https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/senior-nutrition-program. Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.
Photo: Department of Resilience and Community Services
Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program invites young people to create handmade Valentine’s Day cards as part of the annual Love Letters campaign. The cards will then be included in meal deliveries to Meals on Wheels recipients and shared with other senior programs to help lift the spirits of older adults in our community.
Now in its fifth year, Love Letters was introduced through a partnership with DoSomething.org, a global non-profit organization which encourages young people to make a positive change, and Meals on Wheels America. Because of its enormous popularity — both with youth and seniors — staff members with the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program remain committed to carrying on this tradition.
“Each year, these handmade cards brighten the lives of hundreds of seniors in our community,” said Faith Aeilts, program manager of Senior Services, a division of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services. “We are grateful to the numerous individuals, schools, scout troops and other youth service providers who have contributed cards in previous years and hope we can once again count on an outstanding response.”
“The students at the J. Graham Brown School have participated in this wonderful outreach with Louisville Metro Meals on Wheels for the past few years”, stated Stacey Powell, staff member with the Brown School who champions the Love Letters campaign. “Our students are wonderful, caring, and compassionate. In the past we have submitted hundreds of beautiful handcrafted cards! We are excited to participating again and our students are always eager to have their cards delivered. We hope they bring smiles to the recipients.”
This year’s goal is to deliver at least one card to the more than 400 Meals on Wheels recipients and to also share with the hundreds of participants at one of the 22 congregate meal sites for more active seniors.
To donate cards to the local Meals on Wheels program, feel free to drop off any weekday by Feb. 9 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. Suite 201. Contact Tiffany Woodson, Volunteer Coordinator for the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program at 574-6420 or Tiffany.Woodson@louisvilleky.gov with any questions.
The Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program is funded, in part, under a contract with KIPDA and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Cabinet for Health and Family Services with funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about eligibility or how to volunteer, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/senior-nutrition-program or call 502/574-6325.
