The Visiting Nurse Meals On Wheels program has received a grant of $35,000 from the Walmart Foundation and the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) – the Walmart Foundation-MOWAA Building the Future Vision Grant will enable VNMOW to expand its nutrition and meal services as the demand for services grows and preferences of senior clients change. 

The grant will improve the long-term operations of VN MOW and 19 other Meals On Wheels programs across the country. This financial support is desperately needed, as many programs continue to struggle with skyrocketing gasoline costs and rising food prices during the nation’s economic downturn.  

“Thanks to the MOWAA-Walmart Foundation Building the Future Vision Grant, we now have the financial support needed to expand our services and feed more of our community’s seniors,” said Phil Shippers, director, VN MOW. “This grant will help us continue to feed seniors now and long into the future in Rochester and Monroe County.”

Earlier this year, the Walmart Foundation announced a $5 million donation to MOWAA as part of a $2 billion commitment to support hunger relief efforts through 2015. It is the largest donation ever made to MOWAA by a corporate partner. More than $1 million of that $5 million donation will fund Vision Grants of up to $100,000 to 20 MOWAA Member programs. An additional $1.4 million from the Walmart Foundation donation was recently awarded to almost 100 MOWAA Member programs as Impact Grants of up to $20,000 to purchase stoves, refrigerators, trucks and other items that are critical to help serve seniors in need. The $2.4 million for the Building the Future Grants Program is the largest grant amount that MOWAA has ever distributed to its Member programs.

“The Walmart Foundation continues to step up to the plate in the fight against senior hunger,” said Enid Borden, President and CEO of MOWAA. “They understand that joining Meals On Wheels in this battle is a moral imperative. The Walmart Foundation’s generous support helps ensure our programs sustain meal services well into the future. We can’t thank the Walmart Foundation enough for being such a powerful partner in our mission to end senior hunger in America by the year 2020.”

“We know that seniors are among those hardest hit by hunger in this country. Many are home-bound, and rely on neighbors and community volunteer programs like Meals On Wheels to help put food on the table,” said Julie Gehrki, senior director at the Walmart Foundation. “Through this $5 million grant, we hope to bring additional attention to senior hunger and help ensure our parents, grandparents and friends who have added so much to our lives have access to healthy and nutritious food.”

Research sponsored by MOWAA reveals that more than six million seniors in America face the threat of hunger. The Walmart Foundation-MOWAA Building the Future Grant Program is intended to help combat senior hunger in America.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

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