On August 5th, Meals on Wheels Western Michigan was invited to Grandville High School to provide food and host our own information table at Senior Neighbors’ annual picnic. The goal of this picnic was to bring together senior services in the community in a welcoming, entertaining environment for the seniors. This year was a pirate theme, with pirate-themed food, entertainment, and costumes. More than 20 table hosts gathered in the high school’s gymnasium, from Traveling Grannies to Elder’s Helpers, to come together and share their services.
Beginning at 9am, seniors were invited to attend the expo in the gymnasium until 10:30am when the entertainment began in the cafeteria; lunch was served promptly at noon. As an additional incentive to attend the expo, seniors were given a punch card to bring along to each table. Each table would give a senior a punch, once the card was full, it would be turned in to enter the senior into a drawing. Each table brought a gift to be auctioned off.
Opportunities like these are some of our favorites. We love being able to interact with seniors directly, especially those who already utilize our services. Their feedback is what makes our role worthwhile. One senior in particular stood out at the expo. Mark told us that our meals saved his life! Having suffered from diabetes and arthritis, Mark was struggling to provide himself with proper nutrition for years before finding Meals on Wheels. His children all reside in New Jersey. It was not until his neighbor told him about our services that he was able to feel healthy and happy again. He told us how his health was declining at a steady rate before he found us in spring 2015. We so glad to have made a positive impact on Mark’s health and overall living!
