An important part of the UMRC Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of older adults in the communities that UMRC serves. Today, seven UMRC and UMRC Foundation staff members put this mission into practice to help the Chelsea Senior Center deliver emergency meals to local residents.
“It was a gift for us to have the opportunity to serve during this special time of the year,” said UMRC Foundation President Wendy Brightman.
Trinh Pifer, Executive Director of the Chelsea Senior Center, said, “We are grateful for our friends at UMRC in helping us provide meals to older adults in our community. When the Chelsea School District is closed, Meals on Wheels does not run. On those days when we can’t deliver a hot meal, the box of emergency food items we’re delivering today ensures that residents who can’t get out still have food available to them during the winter months.”
Eloise, a resident of The Pines Senior Apartments, was herself a Meals on Wheels volunteer in northern Michigan. Now, she looks forward to visits from the Meals on Wheels volunteers for a warm, nourishing meal and friendly conversation.
“UMRC’s commitment to meeting the physical and emotional needs of older adults doesn’t end at the doors of our facilities,” said Brightman. “It is part of the UMRC Foundation’s mission to support agencies that are doing great work on behalf of seniors in the communities UMRC serves. We believe strongly in partnering with like-minded organizations whose work in communities helps people age in place.”
In 2014, the UMRC Foundation began making Community Grants to local organizations that provide essential services for older adults in the 12-county area where UMRC has a presence. Chelsea Senior Center was a recipient in 2015; this year, the UMRC Foundation supported Meals on Wheels programs in Ypsilanti, Detroit (Focus: Hope), and Jackson (Friends of Jackson Seniors).
Marce Wandell, Director of the Jackson County Department on Aging, said, “Support from UMRC Foundation for Meals on Wheels in Jackson County is so very much appreciated.” She also shared this note from one of the program’s participants: “A big thank you to all of you who helped make all the seniors feel like someone really cares for them. Thank you from my heart. The meals very much help me live in my own home. You make my senior years a lot easier.”
To learn more about how you can join the UMRC Foundation in caring for older adults, visit www.umrc.com or call 734-433-1000 ext. 7502. For information or questions about Chelsea Meals on Wheels, please call 734-475-9242 or email connected@chelseaseniors.org.