Fayette Senior Services Awarded Subaru “Share the Love” Grant

Funds to Help Feed Seniors in Need this Holiday Season

Fayette Senior Services has been awarded $500 from the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)/Subaru “Share the Love” grant program. The MOWAA/Subaru “Share the Love” grant is tied to Subaru’s Share the Love Event.  The Share the Love Event will run from November 20, 2010 – January 3, 2011. Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased to the customer's choice of one of five charities, including MOWAA.The winning essay, which follows this news release, describes how our volunteers go the extra mile to help those in need.

The next phase of this competition relies on getting the most Facebook users to “Like” this story.  More than 140 “Share the Love” essays from programs across the country have been posted on MOWAA’s Member blog.   The Meals On Wheels program with the most “Likes” will win an additional $500. Those placing 2nd through 10th will receive an additional $250. To “Like” the local essay submitted for this Facebook contest, go to mowaablog.org and search “Fayette Senior Services.”

For more than 30 years, Fayette Senior Services Meals On Wheels program has ensured that no senior in Fayette County goes hungry, or is without the ability to have proper nutrition. Each year, a team of dedicated volunteers deliver more than 40,000 meals to more than 250 homebound and semi-homebound older adults throughout Fayette County. Many suffer from health conditions that make preparing a hot, nutritious meal difficult. Good nutrition is essential to anyone’s well-being, yet for many seniors who live on a limited source of income, maintaining a healthy diet is a challenge.

“These Meals On Wheels programs share love every day by bringing food and companionship to America’s hungry seniors,” said MOWAA President and CEO Enid Borden. “For the third year in a row Subaru has generously included Meals On Wheels in its Share the Love Event. We want the world to read these stories and find out more about what these amazing Meals On Wheels programs do every day to ‘Share the Love’ in their communities.”
The funds will be included in Fayette Senior Services goal to raise $30,000 for its annual Project Love Holiday Meal Campaign. By contributing to Project Love, individuals can help Fayette Senior Services provide holiday meals throughout the year. Proceeds from the campaign will also be used to purchase doctor prescribed Ensure® supple­ments for clients with special dietary needs, as well as “shelf meals” that seniors can have on hand in the event a meal cannot be delivered to them due to extreme weather conditions. So far, the Project Love campaign has raised just over $10,000. If you would like to make a donation visit www.FayetteLifeEnrichment.org and click on the Project Love logo to download a printable form or make an online donation. Donation forms are also available at Fayette Senior Services Life Enrichment Center, 4 Center Drive in Fayetteville (across from the Fayette County Justice Center). Checks should be made payable to Fayette Senior Services, Inc.

“This is the season of giving and we are so thankful that Subaru has decided to give back to our Meals On Wheels program said Fayette Senior Services Executive Director, Debbie Britt. Britt adds “As a non-profit organization, we receive some government funding for the Meals On Wheels program; however, these funds don’t quite cover the cost of the regular weekly meals and make no provision for holiday meals. When you consider this, you can see why this grant, and the community’s support for our Project Love campaign are truly meaningful gifts. Our homebound seniors who depend on us for weekly meals certainly deserve a little extra love and support this holiday season and throughout the year.”

Fayette Senior Services, Inc. (FSS), a non-profit, 501.c.3 organization, provides services that help Fayette County’s older adults maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. Programs include Meals on Wheels, Transportation, In-Home Personal Care/Homemaker Services, Case Management, Adult Day Care, Information & Assistance, and Home Repair. For active older adults, Fayette Senior Services Life Enrichment Center offers a wide variety of social, leisure, fitness and recreational activities, the Ultimate Café, and more! FSS programs are focused on total wellness – body, mind, and spirit – to help older adults live well and age well.
About Meals On Wheels Association of America. The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest national organization in the United States representing those programs that provide meals to people in need.  MOWAA’s mission is to end senior hunger by 2020.  To obtain more information about MOWAA or to locate a local Meals On Wheels program, visit the MOWAA website at www.mowaa.org.

Fayette Senior Services Meals On Wheels Winning Essay

The holiday season is a time when most of us share the love with our family and friends. Meals On Wheels shares the love with our local seniors who would otherwise be all alone and hungry during the holidays.  It’s only fitting that we are partnering with our friends at Subaru for the third year in a row for their “Share the Love” Event to raise funds to support Meals On Wheels. This is just one story of how we share the love here in our community.

Louise was legally blind but insisted on staying in her own home instead of going to assisted living. For Louise, whose only close relative lived in North Carolina, this was challenging. With the help of our Meals On Wheels volunteers, who have done much more than deliver a meal for the past 9 years, Louise was able to stay in her home. They took her in as family ensuring that she had rides to church and shopping, got her mail, and took her garbage out, along with other household chores.  Every Thanksgiving, a Meals On Wheels volunteer invited her to dinner with his family. Louise would then call another volunteer to take her to the store to buy something for that dinner.  The volunteers formed a network to make sure Louise was being cared for in every possible way. She always said “I couldn’t have stayed in my home without the help of Meals On Wheels and all the volunteers.” Unfortunately, Louise took a fall and had to move into assisted living in North Carolina near her sister. Shortly after moving, Louise passed away. We were saddened by her death, but her “family” of volunteers had shared their love, which had helped her maintain the independence she loved so much.
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