Louisville, KY., – Louisville Metro Meals on Wheel’s recipients are set to receive handmade Valentine’s Day cards created by youth volunteers from across the country. DoSomething.org, a global non-profit organization with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change, has teamed up with Meals on Wheels America for the fourth annual Love Letters campaign.
The popular campaign, encouraging young people to create handmade Valentine’s Day cards to lift the spirits of older adults, runs through February 10, 2017 and cards will be included in meal deliveries to Meals on Wheels clients across the country. Young people who sign up at DoSomething.org/loveletters by Jan. 31 and upload a “selfie” photo holding the card(s) they made will be eligible to enter to win a variety of prizes including a $3,000 scholarship.
“The Love Letters campaign has been a tremendous success in our community the last several years. Last year alone we received more than 2,500 Valentine cards from schools, scout troops and other youth service providers,” said Eric Friedlander, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Community Services, the organization which administers the Meals on Wheels program locally. “I hope we can continue to count on the compassionate, committed community response again this year and in future years. These handmade cards bring great joy to the homebound seniors whom we serve.”
The J. Graham Brown School on South Fifth Street is a shining example of a local school which has increased their participation each year.
“ The Brown School students have “knocked it outta the park” the past two years that we have participated in this wonderful outreach with Metro Louisville and Meals on Wheels”, stated Stacey Powell, staff member with the Brown School who champions the Love Letters campaign. “Our students are wonderful, caring, and compassionate. Last year we submitted over 940 handmade cards! We are looking forward to participating again this year and our students are eager to have their cards delivered.”
Since 2014, nearly one million cards were distributed through Meals on Wheels America’s network nationwide, which serves nearly 2.5 million homebound seniors each year. The support of the volunteers and meals this network provides are critical to helping them maintain enough independence to stay in their own homes.
To donate cards to the local Meals on Wheels program, feel free to drop off any weekday before Feb. 10 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. Suite 201. Be sure to register your support at DoSomething.org/loveletters. Feel free to contact Tiffany Reed, Volunteer Coordinator for the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program at 574-6420 or Tiffany.Reed@louisvilleky.gov with any questions.
About Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program
The Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program, part of the Department of Community Services, works year-round to help seniors stay healthy by providing hot, nutritious meals. Through the Meals on Wheels program, hundreds of volunteers helped deliver over 100,000 hot noontime meals last year to qualified individuals. Approximately 90,000 meals were served last year to active seniors at more than 20 congregate meal sites across the community which offer seniors an opportunity for a nutritious lunch, socialization and activities. Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition’s programs are funded, in part, under a contract with KIPDA and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Cabinet for Health and Family Services with funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about eligibility or how to volunteer, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/community-services/senior-nutrition-program or call 502/574-6325.
About DoSomething.org
DoSomething.org makes the world suck less. One of the largest global orgs for young people and social change, our 4.8 million members tackle campaigns that impact every cause, from poverty to violence to the environment to literally everything else. Any cause, anytime, anywhere. *mic drop
About Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is the oldest and largest national organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. This network exists in virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million 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, research, education 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.
