Transforming the Lives of Seniors in Need

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Social Workers Vanessa Flores-Veliz and Fiona George

HOME SWEET HOME:
St. Vincent Meals on Wheels’ Home Sweet Home program has been a vital lifeline for seniors facing financial challenges and sudden hardships. By providing essential items like walkers, grab bars, microwave ovens, mini-refrigerators and assistance with rent and utility payments, the program has made a tangible impact on the daily lives of clients, offering much-needed support and relief based on need, on a one-time basis. Helping clients get caught up on these past due bills allows them to get a fresh start at working on staying up to date with their future bills, which relieves a lot of stress. Outside funding such as a generous three-year grant from the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) has helped us in many ways to expand the initiative for which we are most grateful.

Recently, a client who utilizes a wheelchair to move around, had difficulty leaving her front door. Home Sweet Home was able pay for a ramp to be installed through City Wide Services, providing more freedom for her to leave her home.

Expanding resources and building valuable community connections through partnerships with legal services and food pantries has further enriched the support that Vanessa and Fiona can offer to seniors through SVMOW’s Home Sweet Home program.

TALKING TECH:
By embracing technology through the Talking Tech initiative, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels aims to combat social isolation and empower seniors with tech skills, fostering connections with volunteers, family, and the wider community. Remarkably, clients who are enrolled in our Talking Tech program report seeing an improvement in their personal lives by feeling less isolated and feeling as if they are more connected to others in their community. This program also helps seniors gain a feeling of confidence and independence. We are currently exploring new partnerships to expand our ability to bring tablet technology to our clients in order to enhance their power to connect.

Looking ahead, SVMOW plans to continue raising funds for these important programs through grants and partnerships, like the one from JCF, enabling us to expand our reach and continue providing invaluable support to seniors in need.