Support will help to fight senior hunger and isolation IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AND GALVESTON COUNTY AREA AMID THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND
[HOUSTON, TX] March 17, 2021 – Interfaith Ministries Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County announced today that it will be participating in the 19th annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and our senior neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home, now even more so amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County’s celebration will include various activities throughout the month of March, including:
- Sunday, March 21 – a food drive to support local food pantries and to collect pet food for Animeals, a program of Meals on Wheels, to feed and care for the pets of our clients;
- March 24 – The Honorable Sylvia Garcia, U.S. House of Representatives, TX – District 29 will be delivering meals and friendly visits to Meals on Wheels seniors
“In the past 12 months, we have experienced a 20% increase in the demand for our services in the five-county area we serve,” said Martin B. Cominsky, President and CEO of Interfaith Ministries Meals on Wheels of Greater Houston and Galveston County. “We have been in awe of the outpouring of support, and there’s still much we can do to ensure everyone in need of our vital lifeline can benefit from being well-nourished and more connected to our community through this challenging time and beyond.”
Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County delivers more than two million meals each year to nearly 5,000 homebound seniors and people with disabilities across five Southeast Texas counties: Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty and Montgomery. Access to food and social support is essential for homebound seniors. So is emergency preparedness.
Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County distributes shelf-stable emergency food to its seniors twice yearly, once in preparation for hurricane season and once at the start of winter. The winter meals, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy, equipped seniors with the food they needed to get through Winter Storm Uri when meal deliveries were disrupted. Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County continues to replenish non-perishable emergency meal boxes to every client in case weather or other emergencies disrupt deliveries in the future.
“The pandemic has introduced many of us to the newfound and harsh realities of food insecurity and social isolation – something that far too many seniors experience as their daily norm. More than ever, our program serves as a lifeline to a growing number of people in need, to enable their own long-term vitality,” said Cominsky. “Even when we make it through this unprecedented time in our nation’s history, there will still be vulnerable older adults who will rely on that familiar knock on the door that provides peace of mind and hope beyond the meal itself.”
For more information on how you can volunteer or contribute to support seniors in the Greater Houston and Galveston County areas this March, visit www.imgh.org.