PICKENS COUNTY — Duke Energy has provided a $9,920 grant to Pickens County Meals on Wheels to supplement the traditional in-home delivery of meals, friendly visits, and safety checks each weekday with eight holiday meals and two shelf stable emergency meals to its 200 clients.
The meal delivery will take place between Sept. 1 and Feb. 28, 2017 with holiday meals delivered the last business day prior to the holiday and emergency meals delivered in January and February in anticipation of inclement weather.
“Our weekday deliveries provide the much needed piece of mind that allows the most vulnerable seniors to remain safely in their own home and live with the dignity, respect and independence they deserve,” said Meta Bowers, executive director of Pickens County Meals on Wheels.
“This grant will enhance existing services by providing our clients with an added sense of comfort because they will know they will have a nutritious meal during scheduled holiday closures as well as during unscheduled inclement weather closures,” she said.
In a typical year, emergency/holiday meals are only delivered as funding permits, according to Bowers, and this grant will erase some of the uncertainty before temperatures have even begun to drop.
Duke Energy seems to have an understanding of the service provided by PCMOW, which go beyond simply a hot meal.
“Caring for our senior neighbors is a community effort,” said Emily DeRoberts, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy. “Day in and day out, Meals on Wheels is there for the seniors who need them. Duke Energy is proud to do its part to help to ensure the generation that took care of us are not forgotten, hungry or alone.”
According to information provided by PCMOW shows the number of seniors in society will double and the need for their service will continue.
PCMOW is one of 5,000 programs throughout the United States dedicated to making sure no senior is ever left isolated or hungry. By 2050, the number of seniors will more than double. Already, those over 85 re the fastest growing segment of the entire U.S. population.
According to Bowers, the partnership between PCMOW and private individuals as well as businesses is what drives the organization either through donations or time made available from personal schedules.
PCMOW is always looking for new partners and asks those with interest consider the following:
“Services offered by Pickens County Meals on Wheels are crucial to helping seniors cope with the three biggest threats of aging: hunger, isolation and loss of independence. The frequent deliveries provide the much needed peace of mind that allows the frailest and most vulnerable seniors to remain safely in their own homes and live with the dignity, respect and independence they deserve.”
To find out more about how you can get involved, visit www.pcmow.org or call Marsha Robertson at 864-712-0289 or 864-855-3770.