CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) There are many elderly and disabled seniors in Clarksville-Montgomery County who need assistance when it comes to making sure they have food. This month’s Giving Grace features and organization that truly embodies giving and grace, Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels is a program of the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency (MCHRA). Mid-Cumberland Community Engagement Director, Sharon McDaniel, said the program delivers lunch meals to home-bound senior citizens.
McDaniel said each meal is healthy and consists of a meat, two vegetables, bread, a dessert and milk. They are prepared with low sodium and are also carbohydrate and protein balanced. Meals are delivered by volunteers Monday through Friday.
“Senior hunger tends to be kind of a hidden problem. You may not realize your neighbor is hungry, somebody at your church is hungry or it may be a friend who’s embarrassed to say they don’t have enough money for food,” said McDaniel.
She added that one out of every six seniors in Tennessee is hungry and with the high cost of medicine, it’s estimated that around 30 percent of seniors many times have to choose between food and medicine.
Meals on Wheels likes to think of what they do as more than just providing a meal. McDaniel explained they know they can offer a healthy meal, but they also want to help keep seniors from being lonely and stay connected to the community.
Volunteers are the life blood of the Meals on Wheels program and are always needed in Montgomery, Houston, and Stewart Counties. “We need drivers Monday through Friday who can pick up meals around 10:30 a.m. at the meal site. Each route will take about 45 minutes to an hour,” McDaniel said.
Kitchen help is also needed on weekdays from 8:30 to 10:00 am. McDaniel said volunteers can help out once a week, every other week, once a month, or whatever works best for them.
It is also important to mention that there is a waiting list for seniors for Meals on Wheels.
That waiting list in Montgomery County has been as high as 90 seniors which is the most in the 13 counties served by Mid-Cumberland’s Meals on Wheels program in Middle Tennessee. Because of that, the organization has started a “Zoom to Zero” campaign.
They are working to take people off their waiting list for meals and are hoping the campaign will raise enough funds to be able to have a zero-waiting list.
If you would like to learn more about Mid-Cumberland Meals on Wheels, volunteer, or make a donation visit www.mchra.com/meals-on-wheels, email Sharon McDaniel at smcdaniel@mchra.com or call at 931-645-5629.
