Volunteers prepare, package and deliver meals to homebound seniors
Philadelphia, March 23, 2011– Mayor Michael A. Nutter, City officials, volunteers and community leaders participated in a series of Meals on Wheels events across the City as part of the national 6th Annual Meals on Wheels Campaign. The Mayor joined senior and student volunteers at South Philadelphia High School in preparing, packaging and delivering meals to homebound seniors in the local community. Volunteers also prepared and packaged meals at the Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels location and the Klein and Stiffel Jewish Community Center.
“Today, we’re serving an important and growing population in Philadelphia. Approximately one-fifth of Philadelphia’s population is over the age of fifty-five and by 2015, that number is expected to increase to twenty-seven percent, which makes the delivery of basic needs and services even more essential,” Mayor Nutter said.
“We are very proud that Klein & Stiffel JCC and Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels are members of our national association and that their mayor is committed to our cause,” said Enid Borden, President and CEO Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). “Together, and by working with programs like Klein & Stiffel JCC and Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we can end senior hunger by the year 2020. We are Meals On Wheels so no senior goes hungry.”
In March, 2011, Mayor Nutter re-launched the Mayor’s Commission on Aging (MCOA). He appointed 15 new members from a cross-section of industries to oversee policies, programs and initiatives that affect older Philadelphians. Philadelphia has the highest proportion of older adults (age 60+) out of the ten largest U.S. cities. Approximately 276,000 older adults (17%) live in Philadelphia and thirty-one percent of this population lives alone. The MCOA was established by City Ordinance nearly 30 years ago.
Through private and public partnerships, the Meals on Wheels Association of America’s (MOWAA) National Response to Senior Hunger is working to eradicate senior hunger. MOWAA conducts research, raises awareness and identifies emerging trends that are related to senior hunger issues. To learn more, visit www.mowaa.org .
