Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
You don’t have to know somebody to reach out, and offer well wishes and a bit of holiday cheer.
A note or card letting them know that they are being thought of can bring a smile to those who are elderly or ill and often unable to leave their homes.
As part of their winter meals campaign, the folks at Meals On Wheels are asking the public to take a moment and send holiday messages or cards to the organization, which will then be included in the gift bags that the nonprofit prepares for its clients, said MOW Chief Executive Officer Shauna Frost.
Every day, MOW prepares meals for between 500 and 600 people, the vast majority of whom live on a limited budget, are seniors and are homebound.
“For more than 80% of our clients, the volunteer that we send delivering food to their door is the only person that they see on a regular basis, so, in addition to fighting hunger, we’re also combating loneliness,” Frost said.
The gift baskets contain such things as toiletries, socks, scarves, mittens and blankets, she said.
MOW does not give out the names of its clients, “but we do have volunteers who write personal notes to their individual clients.” Still, even without the name of a client, a note or card from someone saying “we’re thinking of you this holiday season and we care about you,” goes a long way, Frost said.
People can write a personalized note or card and send it to the Meals on Wheels post office box or enter a greeting into the MOW website “Contact Us” box. The note will then be printed on high-quality paper and placed in a gift basket.
In addition, the winter meals campaign also serves “to remind people that we need funds to be able to keep doing what we’re doing,” Frost said.
MOW’s annual budget is about $3 million, which comes from private donations, contributions from those clients who can afford to pay something for their meals, private and corporate grants, and an allocation from Bernalillo County.
Donations can also be mailed to the organization’s P.O. Box, or through the website’s “Donate Now” button.
