KleinLife, located at 10100 Jamison Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, has received a $75,000 grant from the Meals on Wheels America COVID-19 Response Fund in Arlington, Virginia.
In making the announcement, Andre Krug, president and CEO of KleinLife, said the funds will be used to purchase additional resources for the Home Delivered Meals Program, which runs in coordination with RSVP Philadelphia. The Home Delivered Meals Program provides 70,000 meals annually to homebound seniors in Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties who cannot shop or cook for themselves.
Since the center ceased its daily operation for seniors back in March, which included its congregant meals program, due to circumstances surrounding the coronavirus, it has experienced a substantial increase in demand for home delivered meals.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have added close to 300 seniors to our Home Delivered Meals Program and are now serving more than 600 clients,” said Krug. “We are most grateful and truly appreciative of this generous donation from Meals On Wheels America to help continue to fund our food program for our seniors.”
Meals On Wheels America has distributed $18.3 million in emergency funding to local senior nutrition providers actively responding to the evolving COVID-19 crisis across the country.
“With millions of Americans being urged to remain at home, we are experiencing a new wave of homebound seniors who may not know from where their next meal will come,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Local Meals on Wheels programs are uniquely positioned to reach these at-risk individuals and are working tirelessly to adapt to the rapidly evolving situation, delivering meals safely and responding to an unprecedented increase in need.”
Meals on Wheels America, the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger, has seen an outpouring of support from corporations, foundations and individuals and continues to raise funds during this uncertain time. Funds raised are being distributed on a rolling basis to members of Meals on Wheels America through a need-based grant program. To date, hundreds of local providers have been awarded grants of up to $75,000. Grants will continue to be awarded for as long as the funds remain. Meals on Wheels America is located at 1550 Crystal Drive, Suite 1004 in Arlington, Virginia, and can be reached at 1-888-998-5274.
KleinLife is the largest senior center in the Philadelphia area and can be reached at 215-698-7300 or kleinlife.org
