Twenty-six years ago, I was the public relations director at the Hocking Athens Perry Community Action agency. One of my jobs was to write stories about the programs the agency operating. One of those programs was Meals on Wheels. One autumn day, I went out with a driver who was delivering those meals in the Jacksonville area. The Meals on Wheels program delivers a hot, cooked meal to senior citizens who are low income and homebound. The noon meals that the driver brought allowed them to have at least one cooked meal a day, but it gave them more than that, it gave them a few moments of companionship. The arrival of the Meals on Wheels driver met a few moments of conversation and those moments were just as important as the meal.
Today, 26 years later, the need for these meals is even greater. The number of seniors on the waiting list far surpasses the ability of the agency to reach them. Some senior citizens have waited several years before they been able to get an opening in the Meals on Wheels program. Many seniors don't have a few years - they need the services now. And with the economy in the shape it's in today, that need is growing.
By passing Issue 6, you will be helping your neighbors here in Athens County. And the cost of the program to an average homeowner is about the same as buying a neighbor lunch one time a year. So won't you help? It's something that we can do to help our neighbors. If each of us can contribute a little lunch money, we can help feed those who really need it. Please vote YES on Issue 6.
Sandra Sleight-Brennan resides in Stewart.
4 Opinion
