WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — Volunteers deliver thousands of meals to Brevard seniors daily as part of Aging Matters in Brevard's Meals on Wheels program, but a funding crisis has left 400 seniors on a waiting list.
What You Need To Know
- Aging Matters' Meals on Wheels delivers thousands of meals to Brevard seniors daily but faces a funding crisis
- The program has 400 seniors on a waiting list
- The organization is launching a donation outreach marathon to address the funding shortfall
Starting July 1, Aging Matters is launching an outreach marathon, looking for donations to address their current needs and beyond.
Seniors like Ernie Geary are grateful for the service and hope the initiative will get others off the waiting list.
“They should have more out there to help the people,” he said.
Geary gets his deliveries from volunteer Elizabeth Grabach, who has volunteered for the Meals on Wheels program for nearly a quarter century.
“I think she’s a very nice lady, comes in, says hi, talks real friendly to me,” Geary said.
Grabach is one of nearly 800 volunteers that deliver the fresh lunches five days a week.
“I love people, I love to talk to them, and I love their stories,” she said.
While they aren’t short on volunteers, it costs $1,800 to feed one senior for a year, and Aging Matters is struggling to meet the demand.
“We have a waiting list that’s getting larger and larger,” Aging Matters in Brevard CEO Tom Kammerdener said. “For the first time, we’re having to put our highest nutritional need seniors on a waiting list ... we’ve never had to do that before, and now we are at that point.”
Anyone interested in donating can click here.