More than 69,000 meals were delivered to area senior citizens through MAC’s Meals on Wheels program last year, but with looming funding cuts, the program’s critical services must find new ways to meet ever increasing demands for assistance. MAC Inc. and the Meals on Wheels Program recently launched the “Feed the Elderly” campaign, which aims to raise funds for services to seniors, while increasing the number of meals provided.
A recent grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore through the Bobbi Biron Fund provided a $5,000 grant to be used towards program assistance, but this will only meet a portion of the $50,000 campaign goal. Currently meals are delivered a maximum of 4 days a week, however in more remote areas meal service is not available at all. The program hopes that through the campaign they will be able to increase this critical service to the elderly on the Lower Shore.
Meals on Wheels, which provides life-giving services to the homebound elderly who are confined to bed, lack transportation, or are too frail to cook for themselves, is sometimes the only access to adequate nutrition for some senior citizens in the lower shore area. Food insecurity and hunger lead to many critical problems for the elderly. Those suffering from lack of nutrition see a diminished quality of life through an increased risk for illness, falls, and hospitalization, and often require more frequent hospitalization and nursing home placement. The Meals on Wheels program aims to combat these problems by providing access to adequate nutrition even when family support, mobility, and resources are lacking.
The program also reduces isolation and increases safety for the citizens it serves. Many seniors have no contact with the outside world with the exception of the program delivery drivers. The services also act as a safety check for ailing seniors who are at an increased risk of medical emergencies, falls, and accidents.
Those interested in contributing to the campaign’s efforts should contact Peggy Bradford, Executive Director, MAC Inc. at 410-742-0505 or mab@macinc.org or by mail MAC Inc., Attn. Meals on Wheels, 909 Progress Circle, Suite 100, Salisbury MD 21804.