Letter: Meals on Wheels makes a difference

Dear Editor:
The holidays are times for family and togetherness, hearty meals and scrumptious treats. While it is easy to take this special time for granted, often there are senior citizens or shut-ins who spend the holidays alone and hungry because they are unable to prepare nutritious meals for themselves or have no family in the area.
Pioneers Medical Center is proud to offer Meals on Wheels to area residents that are unable to obtain or prepare nutritious, healthy meals.
PMC is a member of Meals on Wheels America, a national organization that provides support to ensure that no one goes hungry. In Colorado alone, over 230,000 seniors are isolated and living alone. Disease-associated malnutrition is estimated to be $51.3 billion, per year. A staggering number of one in two older adults is either malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished. The nutritional services provided by the Meals on Wheels service allows 92 percent of those seniors to remain living at home, avoiding costly nursing home bills and saving billions in Medicare and Medicaid costs.
Meals on Wheels is a valuable service within our community, serving over 1627 meals in 2017 thus far, and relies heavily on volunteers. PMC’s Nutritional Services staff prepares nutritious meals and volunteer drivers deliver those meals Monday through Friday to those who are in need.
PMC is currently seeking volunteer drivers during weekdays beginning at approximately 11 a.m. Delivery takes no longer than one hour. As an added bonus, you will receive a delicious complementary lunch for your time.
We are in need of volunteer drivers for this program. If you want to make a difference and are interested, a simple commitment of one day per week for one hour or one day per month would be helpful. There is truly no better feeling than helping those in need, particularly during the holidays. For more information or to apply, please contact Jamie Turner at 970-878-9770 or email [email protected].
Happy Holidays!
Lynne Miller
Director of Nutritional Services at Pioneers Medical Center
970-878-9314
[email protected]