Women helping women. The organization Women Who Care of Kent County is a charitable group that supports non-profits with big donations four times a year. This quarter, says member Sharon Stiansen, the gift goes to Meals on Wheels Western Michigan.
“In the end when all the money comes in, we should be close to $28,000.”
Money that will go toward feeding more than 6,000 older adults per year, says President and CEO Lisa Wideman, more than half of whom are women.
“There are more women that use our services than men because women live longer so there’s many more widows out there than people think, that are isolated and need supportive services like ours.”
The Women Who Care of Kent County are happy to do their part.
“This particular organization is basically giving back to women and many of those, we found out, in a hospice situation which is really difficult.”
The gift comes at the perfect time, Wideman says, with food costs rising and an aging population growing.
“Everybody’s heard of the ‘silver tsunami.’ It’s the buzzword these days but it’s very true. The population is going to dramatically increase over the next ten years, and we need to be positioned to make sure we can serve them.”
Meals on Wheels Western Michigan offers programs to feed seniors in Kent and Allegan counties including meal deliveries, community dining sites and a pantry program.
