Aiken’s Meals on Wheels needs your help to keep rolling
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - For 50 years, Aiken’s Meals on Wheels service has catered to seniors who are homebound or in need of a meal.
Now, Meals on Wheels needs your help.
Last year, they served nearly 100,000 meals to seniors in Aiken County. But it’s not just a meal, it’s a moment of kindness, a connection, and more importantly, a wellness check for many.
But an uncertainty surrounding federal funding, and an increase in food prices and gas, has created the perfect storm for Aiken Senior Life Services.
Waiting, it’s what a lot of seniors in Aiken County do every day.
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“They’re home alone and they look forward to seeing us, and what’s better than a meal and a conversation,” said Katie Barrett, ASLS senior and kitchen manager.
Aiken Senior Life Services has been providing just that since 1971, serving nearly 300 meals a day.
“We’re the second oldest nonprofit here in Aiken, and our service area is the entire Aiken County. That’s a huge, huge land mass. The size of Rhode Island,” said Aimee Hanna, ASLS executive director.
A friendly visitor may not seem like a big deal to some, but for them, connection matters.
“Sometimes we’re the only conversation and the only interaction that they get,” said Barrett.
But with a funding issue and increased costs of food, they’re looking to fill a $150,000 gap.
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“We officially ran out of money, believe it or not, at the end of February, but we were very proactive. We went out and got a grant with the CSRA Community Foundation. We’ve been living off that for the past two months, and now we’re out again,” said Hanna.
That is why they say they need the community’s help to keep on rolling.
“As soon as we posted our need out on Facebook and got the word out, we saw the donations starting to come in, and I think right now we’re looking at about just shy of 15,000 that have come in,” said Hanna.
They can’t stop there, they say the goal is and always will be to feed bellies and fill up hearts.
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“In 2030, which is just a short time away, one in four seniors is going to be age 60 or over, and that’s a 50% increase from 2010. So we know that our population is increasing the need for meals and Meals on Wheels is increasing,” said Hanna.
Until this past fall, they delivered more than 350 meals a day, but that number has dropped, and they’re unable to take people off their wait list.
To donate to ASLS online, go to https://www.aikensenior.org/.
To donate by check, visit 1310 East Pine Log Road, Aiken, S.C. 29803
If you want to volunteer, call 803-648-5447 ext. 0
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