Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Meals on Wheels Yolo County has announced that the Yolo Cannabis Coalition has donated $10,000 for the Weekend Food Project, which will entirely fund the current program for one year.
The Weekend Food Project was designed in 2015 to provide extra help and relief to extremely low-income homebound seniors who already are served by the daily meal program. On the last Friday of each month, Meals on Wheels Yolo County provides a bag of groceries to give seniors options for preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner over that weekend.
Food insecurity in Yolo County has been well-documented. A survey conducted in 2014 by Feeding America indicates that one in six Yolo County residents struggle to put food on the table. Food insecurity results from low income and minimal access to healthy food; these factors are compounded by the additional difficulties seniors face such as inability to drive, difficulty standing to prepare meals and lack of energy.
"Over the past 10 years, government contributions to programs like ours have been steadily reduced, at the same time that the 'Silver Tsunami' – the huge flood of Baby Boomers – are entering their 60s and 70s, with many of them needing our services," said Christi Skibbins, executive director of Meals on Wheels Yolo County.
"At this time, there is a waiting list of 82 seniors for the daily lunch program, and we have three federal government grants that are in jeopardy of being cut."
Skibbins said the agency has "a diverse revenue stream already," and continues to explore new avenues to fund the need in Yolo County.
"With the new opportunity of the legal cannabis industry in our state, this group of community-minded business people can join the businesses, organizations and private citizens who already donate their time, expertise and money to Meals on Wheels Yolo County," she said. "We are very excited, pleased and grateful for this gift and commitment on the part of the Yolo Cannabis Coalition."
The Yolo Cannabis Coalition is a nonprofit California corporation whose purpose is to benefit the common interests of its members, promote community cannabis development and strengthen the Yolo County community. It has about 40 members – growers, nurseries and community members.
"Back in March, when we first heard in the news that certain federal funding to Meals on Wheels programs might be cut, we were in the process of forming the coalition, and it just seemed a natural endeavor that, together, our members could really make a difference in our own community," said Eric Gudz, coalition president.
"We have been working with Christi on this project since our first meeting in early April, and are so pleased to make this donation in order to help her provide what our Yolo County elderly citizens really depend on."
Meals on Wheels Yolo County provides 350 hot meals every weekday to the elderly through two primary programs: congregate meals and home-delivered meals. All food is prepared from scratch at the central kitchen in Woodland, and delivered to nutrition sites at senior centers in Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland as well as to rural areas such as Esparto and Knights Landing.
Skibbins said about 72 percent of the seniors served in the daily meal program are low-income, and 25 percent of those are extremely low-income.
"Because their Social Security check or pension deposits around the first of each month, the last weekend of each month can be an extremely lean time," she said. "Many of these seniors must make difficult financial decisions at the end of the month: whether to buy food or medicine or whether to use the air conditioner and risk a utility bill they cannot afford. There is simply more month left than money.
"The Weekend Food Project bridges a gap for our most needy folks."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yolo Cannabis Coalition funds Weekend Food Project
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California
The Weekend Food Project was designed in 2015 to provide extra help and relief to extremely low-income homebound seniors who already are served by the daily meal program. On the last Friday of each month, Meals on Wheels Yolo County provides a bag of groceries to give seniors options for preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner over that weekend.
Food insecurity in Yolo County has been well-documented. A survey conducted in 2014 by Feeding America indicates that one in six Yolo County residents struggle to put food on the table. Food insecurity results from low income and minimal access to healthy food; these factors are compounded by the additional difficulties seniors face such as inability to drive, difficulty standing to prepare meals and lack of energy.
"Over the past 10 years, government contributions to programs like ours have been steadily reduced, at the same time that the 'Silver Tsunami' – the huge flood of Baby Boomers – are entering their 60s and 70s, with many of them needing our services," said Christi Skibbins, executive director of Meals on Wheels Yolo County.
"At this time, there is a waiting list of 82 seniors for the daily lunch program, and we have three federal government grants that are in jeopardy of being cut."
Skibbins said the agency has "a diverse revenue stream already," and continues to explore new avenues to fund the need in Yolo County.
"With the new opportunity of the legal cannabis industry in our state, this group of community-minded business people can join the businesses, organizations and private citizens who already donate their time, expertise and money to Meals on Wheels Yolo County," she said. "We are very excited, pleased and grateful for this gift and commitment on the part of the Yolo Cannabis Coalition."
The Yolo Cannabis Coalition is a nonprofit California corporation whose purpose is to benefit the common interests of its members, promote community cannabis development and strengthen the Yolo County community. It has about 40 members – growers, nurseries and community members.
"Back in March, when we first heard in the news that certain federal funding to Meals on Wheels programs might be cut, we were in the process of forming the coalition, and it just seemed a natural endeavor that, together, our members could really make a difference in our own community," said Eric Gudz, coalition president.
"We have been working with Christi on this project since our first meeting in early April, and are so pleased to make this donation in order to help her provide what our Yolo County elderly citizens really depend on."
Meals on Wheels Yolo County provides 350 hot meals every weekday to the elderly through two primary programs: congregate meals and home-delivered meals. All food is prepared from scratch at the central kitchen in Woodland, and delivered to nutrition sites at senior centers in Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland as well as to rural areas such as Esparto and Knights Landing.
Skibbins said about 72 percent of the seniors served in the daily meal program are low-income, and 25 percent of those are extremely low-income.
"Because their Social Security check or pension deposits around the first of each month, the last weekend of each month can be an extremely lean time," she said. "Many of these seniors must make difficult financial decisions at the end of the month: whether to buy food or medicine or whether to use the air conditioner and risk a utility bill they cannot afford. There is simply more month left than money.
"The Weekend Food Project bridges a gap for our most needy folks."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yolo Cannabis Coalition funds Weekend Food Project
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California
