Staff report
RUSSELL — Officials from Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital’s Meals on Wheels program have announced the program has been awarded a $11,250 grant from the Walmart Foundation to fight senior hunger.
Financial support is needed as many Meals on Wheels programs across the country have been effected by the current economic downturn. The Walmart Foundation Impact Grant is intended to help OLBH continue to meet the equipment needs of providing meals to area seniors with the funding being utilized for a walk-in freezer.
This year the Walmart Foundation is spending more than $2 million nationwide to make sure Meals on Wheels programs have the equipment they need to maintain their operations into the future. “Seniors have been hit especially hard in this economy and we feel a responsibility to help,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re proud to support Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. who work on the front lines of ending senior hunger.”
OLBH assists with meals being delivered five days a week to elderly or disabled people with food being prepared by a variety of vendors and delivered by volunteers. OLBH’s local Meals on Wheels routes include the communities of Bellefonte, Burnaugh, Catlettsburg, Flatwoods, Russell, South Ashland and Westwood, which are served by the OLBH program, and Grayson, Greenup, South Shore and Worthington area volunteers coordinate programs to serve those areas with advisory support from OLBH.
“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation Impact Grant, we now have better tools to keep feeding seniors for years to come,” said Mary Ellen Conley, OLBH Senior Services coordinator.
Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on creating opportunities in education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2008 through Jan. 31, 2009, Walmart — and its domestic and international foundations — gave more than $423 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally.
For more information on how to assist in serving the hunger needs of Ashland-area seniors, call (606)-833-3398 or toll-free at 1 (877) 827-7012.
