 |
Dear
Friends,
December 2009
In 2010, Meals on Wheels of Lewes & Rehoboth will begin its ’ 40th year of providing nutritious meals to homebound seniors! In addition to daily meals, our volunteers also deliver warm smiles, a gentle touch & essential social contact. For some seniors, this may be the only opportunity during the course of their day to interact with another human being--a key factor in preventing the adverse nutritional effects of social isolation. Pictured to the left is 80 year old Anne Divver who has been receiving Meals on Wheels for many years now. The first thing Anne said during our interview was, “ If I didn ’ t have Meals on Wheels, I don ’ t think I could
 survive! ” Mrs. Divver lives alone & suffers with severe edema in both legs. She cannot stand for any length of time which makes meal preparation impossible. Pairing that with her minimal income & inability to shop for food, Anne relies totally on Meals on Wheels for her nutritional needs. She stated, “ Meals on Wheels has enriched my life in many ways. Not only do they provide hot meals each day, but I am visited by some very special people, the volunteers! They remember me on my birthday & holidays with cards & little gifts. They are priceless & I am so appreciative of what Meals on Wheels & their volunteers do for me each day. ” When asked for some words of wisdom to pass onto the younger generation, Anne stated, “ Family is the most important gift you have. You must always try to keep your family unit together! ”
Pictured to the right is 83 year old Marcella Kenner who has been receiving Meals on Wheels for over 2 years. Mrs. Kenner is a local Lewes resident, born & raised on Lewes beach. She now lives alone & is wheelchair bound. Marcella states, “ Meals on Wheels is such a big help to me. I have diabetes & cannot prepare the types of meals I should be eating to manage it. The volunteers are very nice, everyone of them! ” Mrs. Kenner also receives additional services which, when coupled together with Meals on Wheels, has enabled her to continue living independently in her own home. She stated, “ I am not ashamed to admit I need help & I wake up each day extremely grateful that I am still able to live in my own home. I am so thankful that there are people out there who care enough to help me - it truly means a lot to me. ”
Pictured below is Roberta Robinson, one of our dedicated volunteers. Roberta is approaching her 4th year of delivering meals for Meals on Wheels. She came to Meals on Wheels after her children went off to college. When asked what makes you stay with Meals on Wheels, Roberta stated, “ There are so many people who live alone, have minimal contact with the outside world & no way of providing themselves with
 the basics. It takes very little time & effort to provide these people with food & some attention. They are all so grateful. ” Recently, Roberta was delivering a meal to Mrs. Divver & found her shivering & not quite herself. She asked her some questions which Anne could answer but Roberta knew that something was wrong. It was then that she called for help. Mrs. Divver was hospitalized for approximately one week with an infection. This is just one example of how vital daily contact is for our homebound seniors. Mrs. Robinson also reflects on some of the happy memories she gets from delivering meals; laughing with the gentleman who was somewhat embarrassed when caught singing upon entering his home, the man who shared his quarter collection with her & the elderly woman who proudly showed her all of her handiwork ranging from hand painted furniture to homemade quilts. Roberta states, “ I highly recommend becoming a Meals on Wheels volunteer. You may start out thinking you will be giving something to someone, but you actually get a lot more from them. ”
Nutrition is critical throughout life, but proper nutrition in later years is instrumental in the management of chronic diseases prevalent among seniors. Good nutrition contributes to a higher quality of life, enabling seniors to maintain their independence. They are better able to continue performing basic daily activities, such as bathing, dressing & eating. Meals on Wheels is designed to provide healthy nutritional meals suited to specific dietary needs of seniors. Social contact arrives daily with each meal delivery, as does the comfort of knowing that no one is refused service due to the inability to pay for meals.
In 2009, 99,782 meals were delivered to the homebound in eastern Sussex County through Meals on Wheels of Lewes & Rehoboth. The need for our service continues to grow each year. The future of Meals on Wheels infinitely depends upon community support. Last year, your gifts of $39,000 exceeded our goal of $30,000 & supplied 5,571 hot meals to homebound seniors! We have set our goal at $40,000 this year in hopes to help defray the decreases that have occurred in several areas of our budget.
Please take a few moments & send in your gift today.
All donations are tax
deductible to the fullest extent of the law. To make a
donation, click
here to view & print the mail-in form
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.). You may also donate
right here on our
website by clicking
here.
Thank you & may your holiday season be filled with love and joy.
|
