For Immediate Release: June 29, 2017
The Health Trust Contact: Gustavo Caraveo, gustavoc@healthtrust.org or (408) 513-8740
THE HEALTH TRUST MEALS ON WHEELS RECEIVES $1,500 FROM MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA TO SUPPORT CLIENTS AND THEIR PETS
Much-Needed Funding Helps Keep Santa Clara County Seniors and Their Pets Together
San Jose, CA, June 29, 2017 – The Health Trust is proud to announce that it has received a $1,500 grant from Meals on Wheels America to support its Meals On Wheels client pet program: Pets And their Loving Seniors (PALS). PALS provides free pet food to seniors and adults who are low-income and homebound and who live with animal companions.
“Pets provide critical therapeutic support to help our clients maintain their health, well-being, and independence, so it is of great importance to us that both our clients and their pets receive adequate nutrition and care. PALS operates entirely on donations, and food is delivered exclusively by volunteers. We couldn’t do it without the generosity of supporters like Meals on Wheels America,” said Charlie Bullock, Interim CEO of The Health Trust.
In total, Meals on Wheels America has granted $300,000 to 193 local Meals on Wheels programs through the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets initiative this year. Funding is made possible in part through a donation from Banfield Charitable Trust (BCT). To date, the grant program has distributed more than $2.4 million in funding and pet food donations.
“While the benefits of companionship are clear, taking care of a pet can be financially and physically challenging for seniors,” said Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander. “Meals on Wheels Loves Pets helps local Meals on Wheels providers alleviate this hardship and at the same time reduce the negative effects of isolation.”
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About The Health Trust
The Health Trust is a nonprofit foundation building health equity in Silicon Valley. It ensures that health related grants, policies and services exist to support Silicon Valley’s most vulnerable communities. Providing nutritious food to those that need it most has always been a priority of The Health Trust. Since its inception in 1996, The Health Trust has operated a Meals On Wheels program that delivers hot nutritious meals and offers wellness checks to seniors, adults with disabilities and individuals that are homebound. For more information, visit healthtrust.org.
About Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is the oldest and largest national organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network exists in virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.