AgeWays’s Holiday Meals on Wheels Program in Need of Donations

AgeWays Needs Donations to Deliver Nearly 8,000 Meals This Year

Southfield, Mich. (November 16, 2015) – AgeWays, a regional nonprofit that helps seniors and people with disabilities, is seeking donations for its Holiday Meals on Wheels program.

The program delivers hot, festive holiday meals—complete with all the trimmings and special holiday touches—to frail, homebound seniors on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Day, Passover and Easter. Meals are delivered by friendly volunteers who take the time to visit with the seniors and make sure they receive some holiday cheer.

“This program is about so much more than just a meal,” explained AgeWays Chief Executive Officer Tina Abbate Marzolf.  “Many times these seniors do not have family to spend the holiday with, and the volunteer who comes to the door may be the only person they see all day—the only person who wishes them a happy holiday or takes time to connect with them.”

AgeWays serves a six-county region in southeast Michigan that includes Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties. The agency helps fund and oversee 14 local Meals on Wheels providers throughout the region that prepare and deliver the meals. While federal funds help cover the costs of weekday deliveries, the agency depends on donations to fund the holiday program and make sure meals go out on these special days. The agency estimates about 7,900 holiday meals will be needed by area seniors from Thanksgiving through the spring holidays of Passover and Easter.

If you would like to donate and help bring a holiday to a local senior, you can make a secure online donation on the agency’s website or call 800-852-7795.

While local Meals on Wheels providers often have volunteers for the holiday deliveries, most are in need of weekday volunteers. Each provider recruits their own volunteers. To find the organization that delivers Meals on Wheels in your area, visit the Meals on Wheels page or call AgeWays at 800-852-7795.