Meals on Wheels Association of America and Bank of America Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Phil Beukema
VP Development & Communications
Community SeniorServ
(714) 229-3362
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Community SeniorServ Awarded Grant from Meals On Wheels Association of America and Bank of America Charitable Foundation to Help Feed Hungry Seniors
August 18, 2010, Anaheim, CA – Community SeniorServ has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The money will allow Community SeniorServ to add four older adults from their waiting list and serve an additional 2,755 meals over the course of a year.
This financial help is desperately needed as many Meals On Wheels programs across the country are having trouble meeting the demand for meal services during this economic downturn. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation/MOWAA Emergent Meal Grant Program is intended to make sure Community SeniorServ can continue to provide as many meals as possible to our homebound seniors in Orange County, CA.
“Thanks to the Bank of America Charitable Foundation/MOWAA Emergent Meal Grant Program, we can feed more seniors in need,” said Holly Hagler, CEO of Community SeniorServ. “This money comes at a critical time as the need to help homebound and hungry seniors in Orange County continues to grow.”
Over the past year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services, but the Bank of America Charitable Foundation has come forward to help restore those meals. The foundation has provided a $500,000 grant to MOWAA, half of which is helping Meals On Wheels programs across the U.S. bring back meal services that were cut.
“As an increasing number of seniors and families are experiencing hardship, we are proud to partner with Community SeniorServ to help put meals on the table in homes across our community,” said Shari Battle, Senior Vice President, Bank of America. With this support, we hope to set in motion opportunities to help individuals, families and entire neighborhoods thrive while helping end senior hunger.”
Late last year MOWAA released a groundbreaking study revealing that six million seniors in America face the threat of hunger. The report, entitled “Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas,” found that the number of seniors facing the threat of hunger jumped an astonishing 20% in just one year. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation/MOWAA Emergent Meal Grant Program is intended to help combat this major problem and bring more meals to our hungry seniors.
Community SeniorServ is the largest senior nutrition provider in Orange County and the State of California. In addition to its nutrition programs Community SeniorServ also provides its participants with case management services and in-home supportive services as needed. Community SeniorServ also operates three Adult Day Care Centers in the county. For more information on Community SeniorServ please visit www.communityseniorserv.com.
Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a new, 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2009, making the bank one of the largest corporate cash donors in the United States. Bank of America approaches investing through a national strategy under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Reaffirming a commitment to develop and sustain a culture of service, the bank announced the “Million Hour Challenge,” a pledge by the company’s associates around the world to donate 1 million volunteer hours by the end of 2010. In 2009, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 800,000 hours to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation
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