By Julie Piper Finley | Director of Marketing & Communications
Low-income older adults who live in downtown Portland depend on Meals on Wheels People for more than just hot and nutritious meals. In the sweltering weather we have just experienced in Oregon, our clients have come to us not only for meals, but to find a cool place to rest during the heat of the day. In cooperation with Mulntomah County, we opened our Elm Court Center as a cooling center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the days when temperatures soared upwards of 90 and 100 degrees. Many of those we serve live in SRO or tiny flats without air conditioning in high rise buildings. Elm Court Center provided them a respite from the continous hot weather. For those who are homebound, Meals on Wheels People delivered electric fans along with meals. We solicited new and gently used electric fans and room air conditioners from volunteers and donors and made sure every client who needed a fan received one.
Between Mar. 1 and Aug. 11 of this year, we servered and delivered 38,168 meals to o859 older adults for a total cost of $282,061. This was made possible by the generous donations of individuals like those who make gifts through GlobalGiving. We depend on donations for more than 60% of our annual budget.
We received this note from a homebound client recently: I appreciate Meals on Wheels People because they provide so much more than meals. The Elm Court Center provides a friendly meeting place for all kinds of people. They bring a little light to lonely people like me.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
