By Julie Piper Finley | Director of Marketing & Communications
Our Elm Court Center often serves as the "Living Room" for lonely and isolated seniors who live in downtown Portland. Many of these seniors live in studio apartments or in residential hotels without cooking facilities. They come to the Elm Court Center every weekday for a hot meal, as well as the opportunity to interact with others, have a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, work on a puzzle or watch TV.
Between July 1 and Nov. 15, 2016, we served and delivered 38,069 meals to more than 1,000 older adults in the downtown Portland area. For many we serve, the meal we provide them is their only food of the day. And, for some, we are their only source of fresh, whole fruit. We strive to provide seasonal fruits and vegetables and have a variety of diets available, including vegetarian. Meals on Wheels People has an active menu committee and we are in the process of developing and including a number of ethnic-specific menu items, including Lemon Grass Fish for our Vietnames clients, Chili Verde with Pork for our Hispanic clients, and Borscht with Dumplings for our Eastern European clients.
The cost of each meal is $7.39 and diners are asked to contribute what they can afford. The average donation is about 50 cents per meal, but no one in need is ever turned away. We depend on the community, including donors through Global Giving, to make up more than 60% of our annual budget. Thank you for supporting senior nutrition in our community.
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