I received a letter from our Executive Administrator about hunger and the elderly in my weekend package for the Select Board. An excerpt from that letter follows: ...What can citizens of Dartmouth do to address this growing need?
The Dartmouth Council On Aging (COA) and Town Officials have established a Dartmouth Senior Citizens Food Pantry, which is administered through the COA Facility at 628 Dartmouth Street.
Through the financial help of various generous businesses, individuals and civic organizations, the program has been able to purchase food for seniors. The program has been able to assemble packages of food, which are tailored specifically with the help of Coastline Elderly Services nutritionists to senior citizens needs. Each year, financial donations are made to this program and foods are purchased through various sources and dispersed to those in need. Due to the high demand in our community, funds are needed to replenish these food stocks. Donations can be made in care of the Dartmouth Senior Citizen Food Pantry, and sent to the Dartmouth Council On Aging.
Further volunteers are needed to assist the COA in assembling food packets and delivering these packets to individuals who may not be able to get out of their homes. As we head into the upcoming winter and heating season, it is our expectation that the need and demand will increase. Your help in both financial assistance and volunteering to work with the program is desperately needed. Anyone wishing to be considered with the program or have any questions can contact my office by calling 508—910-1813. Let us show we really care about our senior citizens.
Michael J. Gagné
Executive Administrator
Town of Dartmouth
Can you help? Please give of your time or donate what you can.
Also in my packet was a flyer for the FoodSource Hotline which may be a longer term solution for those in need. Follow this link to the flyer.
Friday, September 19, 2008
COA addresses elderly hunger
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6 comments:
Each year the local radio stations, where my wife is the Business Manager, run a Fall promotion to help the local food pantries and the Red Cross. They do other things to help local causes but they are more behind-the-scenes.
This promotion is very public and is called "Cans Across the Park", where we all gather and collect non-breakable, non-perishable food goods, like boxed spaghetti, and almost any canned product, and we lay the things collected end-to-end from one end of Buttonwood Park to the other along the main road. The goal of course is to make it all the way, and we have on more than one occasion. It is a lot of work but is embraced by many of the station employees, and is near and dear to both my wife and me.
Through the power of radio, over the last 10 years we have collected on average about 6500 items during the one-day event. I believe our "high" was around 9000. Since this is too much to handle for any one pantry there are usually about 3 invited to participate in the dispersal of the goods.
Last year our COA participated but unfortunately they were limited in what they could take and store, so while they got a good amount they weren't able to get their entire "share". Hopefully this year they will be better equipped to handle more because this is an excellent opportunity to benefit from the generosity of the listeners of the radio stations. WBSM is the official sponsor.
Perhaps when the time gets close I can use this forum to help get the word out to anyone who would like to participate. While the promotion and collection process is in good hands there are other ways to help, besides donations. At the close of the event there is the need to pick up all the items and pack them for transport to the receiving locations.
The "receivers" are actually responsible for the packing and transport, that way they can choose what they feel best meets their needs, and come with resources, but some are overwhelmed with the volume and can use help. We all helped pack up the COA van last year but if they have a place to put the goods they could certainly use more bodies and perhaps another vehicle.
If anyone expresses interest I will be glad to provide specifics when known. Over the years we have gotten various youngsters involved, including Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Brownies, but we also have exposed our kids and grandkids to the event and watched them grow with it.
The sheer volume of what transpires on that day helps give them a sense of community and need, and my grandson, for one, always lets us know well in advance that he wants to help on the day of the event. Participation on that day has generated many good conversations about the world around him.
He is now 17 and we figured that he might start feeling there is better use of his time, but no, he has already put in his request to help this year. I am very proud of him and his desire to participate, especially now that he has a girlfriend and could easily find many other things to do.
What a great way to have the community of Dartmouth help the community of Dartmouth, as well as neighboring communities.
Maybe this is not feasible to do, but, just a thought. We have two empty school buildings, Gidley and Cushman. Why not use them for storage of the food items? That way the COA will be able to sufficiently stock up as well.
Frank,
Let me know when and I will make my van available for transport.
save the elderly, good deeds. invest in children. noble too. Support student textbooks despite fun squabbling over capital vs. operational. love and peace. help the oldest and youngest. thanks.
Hunger is hitting Dartmouth residents of ALL ages, so if you can donate to a food bank please do so. It is a great way to help those in need.
As for books, sorry but I see that as a completely different issue. Let the school committee redeploy the funds they receive so that books are funded first, not last.
Books in school equals food for brain; food is nutrition for body and brain. Seem to be brotherly items.
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