Fighting Senior Hunger: March for Meals Event to Raise Awareness for Meals on Wheels Program
Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN) is fighting senior hunger one meal at a time. Since 1975, the nonprofit has been administering the city’s Meals on Wheels program, delivering nutritious meals to homebound seniors. On March 16 at 11 a.m., the nonprofit’s campus (1501 N. Las Vegas Blvd.) will host March for Meals, part of a nationwide initiative to increase awareness and community engagement for senior nutrition and our aging population.
City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman will personally deliver a week’s worth of meals to one Meals On Wheels client, showing her support for the community’s senior population and highlighting the program as a vital service.
“Senior hunger is a public health crisis in our nation and impacts thousands of our friends and neighbors in Southern Nevada,” said Deacon Tom Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. “Meals on Wheels drivers not only deliver food to our clients, but conduct wellness checks to ensure they are healthy.”
Donations and federal and state grants help sustain the program, but roughly 40 percent of each meal delivered comes out of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada’s operating budget. Currently, 2,100 Las Vegas seniors receive weekly deliveries, which include seven meals, a half-gallon of milk, fresh fruit and nutritional supplements.
As part of March for Meals, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada is introducing Feed the Seniors, a fundraising initiative designed to cut the budget shortfall and deliver meals to more homebound seniors than ever before. Donors have the option to feed a senior for a day ($5.12), week ($36), month ($154) or year ($1,869).
To learn more about Meals and Wheels, or to donate, please visit https://give.catholiccharities.com/donate.
Meals on Wheels By The Numbers
- $5.12: The total cost of one meal
- 900: The number of seniors on the waiting list
- 75,000: The number of miles traveled each year by Las Vegas Meals on Wheels trucks
- 766,500: The number of meals delivered to Las Vegas clients in 2016