Thursday, May 26, 2011

Dunbar Elementary School: We Love Our Seniors

Senior hunger is something we don't often think about. During my year assignment with the Georgia Institute on Aging and Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta as a Community Volunteer Coordinator I had the opportunity to challenge senior hunger head on!
A partnership with Communities In Schools of Atlanta and Dunbar Elementary school yielded amazing results. Dunbar Elementary students love their seniors, and when I asked them to host a food drive they were up to the challenge! The collection was held over a period of 1 month starting before the Christmas holiday break and ending shortly after the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.Within that time they collected nearly 1,000 items between several classrooms, grades K-5. 

Collection boxes featuring "we love our seniors" The items they collected were counted and sorted into the Mobile Community Pantry sponsored by the Fulton County Senior Collaborative (FCSC). FCSC is made up of representatives from Visiting Nurse Health System, Project Open Hand Atlanta and Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta. The three organizations work collaboratively to provide senior clients in the metro area with supplemental food assistance. Unlike a traditional pantry, the collaborative realizes the challenges that home bound or low-income seniors face and have worked diligently to recruit volunteers to deliver the food items directly to each clients door. Project Open Hand Atlanta has provided a dietitian to evaluate the food items and provide guidelines to ensure that each pantry bag is full of food items appropriate for each senior clients specific needs.

According to studies conducted by Meals On Wheels Association of America (Research Findings), Georgia ranks 6th highest in ranking of states by rate of limited or uncertain availability of food among seniors. Help FCSC collect food items for the Mobile Community Pantry. Take your non-pershible food items for donation to bins located at:

Senior Citizen Services
1705 Commerce Drive NW
Atlanta, GA 30318404-351-3889

Originally posted by Tamara Mack- Food Activist at 6:20 PM , January 18, 2011 at
http://right2eat.blogspot.com/2010/01/dunbar-elementary-school-food-drive-we.html

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Congressman Lewis Signs Mother's Day Cards



A few days before Mother’s Day the Meals On Wheels Association of America reached out to various Congress members to sign cards for Mother’s Day. Atlanta’s representative John Lewis signed several cards and one of those was delivered to Mrs. Reed with her meals before Mother’s Day.

Mrs. Reed is 105-years-young and the oldest Meals On Wheels Atlanta client. Her mind is sharp and she lives with her daughter. Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. ­­Reed, from Congressman John Lewis and the staff of Senior Citizen Services.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Senior Citizen Services Names Finalist in Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program



Toyota to Donate Vehicle to Local Nonprofit Organizations Based on Public Votes

Atlanta-based organization, Senior Citizen Services is one of 500 finalists in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program, which will award vehicles to 100 nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public beginning May 9, 2011.

Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will showcase five non-profit organizations each day for 100 days on Toyota’s Facebook page, facebook.com/toyota. Visitors to the page can vote once a day for the organization that they feel is most deserving of a new Toyota vehicle. Senior Citizen Services will be one of the five organizations highlighted for voting on Monday, June 6, 2011.

Local residents are encouraged to support Senior Citizen Services and their quest for a new Toyota Highlander. If Senior Citizen Services receives the most votes and is awarded the vehicle, it will be used to deliver meals to homebound Atlanta seniors through its Meals On Wheels Atlanta program.


About Senior Citizen Services:
Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. (SCS), a nonprofit, community-based organization, has been providing services since 1965 and is designed to support senior independence through meals, shelter, education and community. Their programs include Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Home Repair Services, Vivian T. Minor Adult Day Care for Alzheimer’s/Dementia, and Fulton County Neighborhood Senior Centers. For more information on programs, please visit http://www.scsatl.org/.

About Toyota.
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $500 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S.

For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/community.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Senior Citizen Services Offers Gas Cards to Recruit Meals On Wheels Atlanta Drivers

With gas prices approaching $4 per gallon, Meals On Wheels Atlanta volunteers are not only giving up their time to deliver meals to seniors, but they are also taking a hit in their wallet when they fill up their car with gas.

That’s where Jerry Lowry, Chairman of D.A.T. Broadband, Inc. stepped in. D.A.T. Broadband donated 100 gas cards to be given to new Meals On Wheels Atlanta volunteers during the month of May, which is also nationally recognized as Older Americans Month. Each card will roughly cover the gas that it takes to deliver a Meals On Wheels Atlanta route. Eligible recipients will be any driver who has not delivered for Meals On Wheels Atlanta before.

“D.A.T. Broadband should be recognized for this creative and practical solution to rising gas prices,” stated Jeffrey Smythe, Executive Director of Senior Citizen Services. “With more seniors in need, this gives volunteers an extra boost to deliver meals.”

Meals On Wheels Atlanta, one of Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta’s programs designed to enable seniors to support senior independence through meals, shelter, education and community was created to meet the nutrition and human contact needs of homebound seniors in the metropolitan area in 1970. Last year, nearly 95,000 meals were delivered to hundreds of homebound seniors. Recipients receive a visit with their meals by a volunteer or staff person, assuring that they receive more than just nutrition. To serve each senior better, Meals On Wheels Atlanta has entered into formal collaborations with multiple service providers across the metro area, thereby minimizing duplication and maximizing the benefit of each charitable donation.

Interested volunteers may contact Senior Citizen Services at 404-351-6194 or volunteercoordinator@scsatl.org to schedule a delivery route. Turn-by-turn directions are provided and routes can be completed in less than two hours.

Meals On Wheels Atlanta is inviting additional $10 gas cards donations to promote volunteerism. Call 404-351-3889 if you would like to donate gas cards.

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About Senior Citizen Services: Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. (SCS), a nonprofit, community-based organization, has been providing services since 1965 and is designed to support senior independence through meals, shelter, education and community. Their programs include Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Home Repair Services, Vivian T. Minor Adult Day Care for Alzheimer’s/Dementia, and Fulton County Neighborhood Senior Centers. For more information on programs, please visit www.scsatl.org.