My neighbor Frank is 78 years old. He lives alone. From time-to-time, I stop in to say hello and see how he is doing. Frank’s only face-to-face contact with another person each day is with Larry, a Mystic Valley Elder Services (MVES) home-delivered meals driver. Although the delivery of a nutritious meal and friendly smile lasts only a few minutes, the visit brightens Frank's entire day and provides him with the peace of mind that someone will be there for him if he needs a helping hand.
What you must know is there are many elders like Frank—elders who live alone at home and who need our help. With this in mind, I ask you to consider making a charitable donation to the MVES home-delivered meals program. Your donation will ensure that a warm greeting and a healthy meal arrive each day to homebound elders.
Regardless of the amount, your tax-deductible gift—returned to us today in the enclosed envelope—will make a difference in our ability to serve more meals to elders in the community. Your donation means one more elder will enjoy a nutritious lunch and just as importantly, a daily visit by a home-delivered meals driver who is looking out for the elder’s safety and well being.
As our list of clients in need of this vital service grows, the same can be said for the cost of the meals. While meal preparation and production costs continue to rise, federal and state government funding levels remain the same. As a result, MVES must limit the number of older adults we assist—unless we can raise community support for home-delivered meals from people like you.
Since 1975, MVES has provided home-delivered meals and other essential home care and community services to older adults and their families in Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Our drivers deliver over 1,100 meals each day to area homebound, frail, and disabled older residents.
Although MVES’ number one priority is to deliver a quality meal to everyone in need, I also want to tell you about another development in our home-delivered meals program. At MVES, we value our ability to provide as much choice as we can to local older adults in our service area. It’s in this spirit that we are bringing choice to the home-delivered meals program. While we continue to offer the traditional, hot lunch each day, we will begin to provide an alternative, lighter fare such as a salad and sandwich. This lighter fare will encourage more elders to eat a healthy lunch even if they don’t want to eat the traditional meal. Incidentally, the choice option costs no more than the hot meal. By thinking creatively, we will be able to offer more options for the same cost. I make this point to emphasize that your charitable gift of $25, $50, or $100 will help us bring both choice and a higher quality of meals to an elder’s doorstep.
A daily visit from a home-delivered meals driver helps older adults live safely and independently in their own homes. Please help us support this independence. If you want, you can make your gift in honor or in memory of a loved one. A special acknowledgement of your gift can be sent to the person(s) of your choice.
Thank you for helping us promote independence through quality home care. Your support will truly make a difference in the lives of others. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Daniel J. O’Leary
Executive Director
PS. Please help us say “Yes” to every older adult in need
of a home-delivered meal.
