By David Sykora / St. Louis Area Ageny on Aging - The St. Louis Area Agency on Aging (SLAAA) has been awarded $15,000 through a Walmart Foundation grant to the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). The money will provide the SLAAA Home Delivered Meal Program with much-needed meal delivery equipment, technology equipment and software for our senior centers, which is critical to continue serving seniors in our neighborhoods.
This financial support is desperately needed as many Meals On Wheels programs across the country are struggling to survive during this economic downturn. The “Walmart Foundation Impact Grant” is intended to help the SLAAA Home Delivered Meal Program continue to meet the long term equipment needs of providing meals to our seniors in the City of St. Louis.
Last year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services, but the Walmart Foundation stepped in to help restore those meals. This year, the Walmart Foundation is spending more than $2 million nationwide to make sure Meals On Wheels programs have the equipment they need to maintain their operations into the future.
“Seniors have been hit especially hard in this economy and we feel a responsibility to help,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “We’re proud to support Meals on Wheels programs across the U.S. who work on the front lines of ending senior hunger.”
“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation Impact Grant, we now have better tools to keep feeding seniors for years to come,” said David Sykora, Executive Director of the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging. ”This grant will help us provide quality meals to many of our clients in need and will truly make a difference for the seniors of St. Louis.”
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on creating opportunities in education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From February 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009, Walmart – and its domestic and international foundations – gave more than $423 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally. To learn more, visit.