Meals on Wheels awards grant to FC Council on Aging
Faulkner County Council on Aging, Inc. has been awarded a $9,888.00 grant for Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and the Wal-Mart Foundation to support the local program to feed seniors.
This past year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services because of severe operating constraints brought on by rising food and gas prices and the current economic crisis. The "MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant" is intended to alleviate these burdens for FCCA and help us restore our nutrition services to better serve our seniors in Faulkner County.
"With the MOWWA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant, we will be able to feed more of our senior clients in need and make a tremendous impact in our community," said Debra Robinson, Executive Director of Faulkner County Seniors Center.
According to a groundbreaking national research study entitled "The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America," which was commissioned by the MOWAA Foundation, one in nine seniors in America is at risk of hunger. The fact that 11.4 percent of seniors in the country are at risk of hunger and the fact that the population is aging at an unprecedented rate puts a significant strain on community-based Meals On Wheels programs ability to provide meals for those in need. The "MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant Program" is intended to increase the number of individuals served and reverse the forced reduction in meal services seen at Meals On Wheels programs throughout the nation.
"Unlike cancer or AIDS, we have the cure to end senior hunger in America today," said Enid Borden, President and CEO of MOWAA. "We can't thank the Wal-Mart Foundation enough for supporting us in our mission and remembering the seniors we serve during this desperate time."
The Faulkner County Council on Aging is a non-profit corporation established in 1974 to improve the quality of lives of aging persons, their health, welfare, nutrition, education and recreation in Faulkner County.
The Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest national organization in the Unites States representing those programs that provide meals to people in need. To obtain more information about MOWAA or to locate a local Meals on Wheels program, visit the MOWAA web site at www.mowaa.org.