Meals on Wheels gets royal support over holidays
Special to Leader-Press
The senior citizen population is expected to double nationwide by 2060. Today, nine million seniors face the threat of hunger, and millions more live alone in isolation.
The Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty joined the generation of volunteers to ensure the community’s seniors did not go hungry and had some much welcomed company over the holidays.
Preteen Miss Five Hills Kaydence Roberts said with each delivery, they met new people who had interesting stories to tell and were always happy to see visitors.
“There was one lady who loved frogs and even her doorbell was a frog. She told us how her husband made it for her,” Roberts said. “There was another lady who had over a thousand refrigerator magnets and said she had been collecting them for a long, long time.
A lot of the seniors have pets who are just adorable and we got to play with them. We always ended our trip with our last delivery to this kind gentleman who was a veteran and used to box in the military. He always gave us hugs.”
The average life expectancy for seniors is at a record high of 79 years. One in five Americans is 60 years old or older with 12,000 more turning 60 each day. One in four seniors lives alone and one in five says he feels lonely.
Junior Miss Five Hills Hayley Sawyer enjoyed calling out, “Knock, knock, knock...Meals on Wheels” as she arrived at each house.
“I had the best time with Meals on Wheels to start off the New Year with all the seniors’ smiling faces when they opened the door,” Sawyer said. “They really enjoy us coming to deliver and I know I had a really great time listening to their stories along the way.”
7.1 million seniors live in poverty with an income of $234 a week or less, which, after housing, utility and medical expenses, leaves very little for food.
Young Miss Five Hills Angelica Torres said delivering Meals on Wheels is very rewarding.
“It has taught me that this program has a big impact in our community,” Torres said. “Interacting with the clients is a blessing, getting to know them and just giving a listening ear and a smile goes a long way.”
The U. S. economic impact of seniors with malnutrition is $51 billion. Among seniors, the additional Medicare expenditures associated with social isolation are similar to the amounts associated to high blood pressure or arthritis. An estimated five percent of seniors account for 42 percent of the spending in the Medicare budget.
Copperas Cove Five Hills Ambassador Briana Liles said it felt good to deliver meals around the holidays.
“We got to deliver hot food and have conversations with the elderly, bsrighten their days and release their worries some,” Liles said.
In Texas, more than 32 percent of seniors face the threat of hunger with Meals on Wheels serving more than 15 million meals each year in the Lone Star State. If you would like to volunteer with Meals on Wheels, contact the Copperas Cove Senior Citizens Center.
Miss Five Hills Emerald Bentley said it was such a wonderful experience volunteering.
“Spreading holiday cheer while helping those in need really highlights what this season is about,” Bentley said.