2. We feed hungry seniors!
Who We Are ● Home Delivered Meals
Meals on Wheels is not an
entitlement program. It’s
● Congregate Meal Sites
not run by the federal,
state or local government.
● Social Support Services
The entire Ocean County
Meals on Wheels program
is run by Community
Services Inc., a private,
non-profit 501(c)3
organization created by St.
Andrew United Methodist
Church in 1973. And right
now, we are asking for
your generous help and
support.
www.csimow.org
3. Our Mission
We are driven by a
passionate belief that
senior citizens deserve to
lead happy, healthy and
above all, meaningful lives.
From forty years of
experience, we know the
best way to accomplish this:
By doing everything we can “It’s a bright spot in my day.”
to keep them in the
environment where they’re
most comfortable—at
home.
www.csimow.org
4. WE SAVE LIVES
“Keeps Me in My Home”
Community Home delivered meals
Services let Virginia , who
recently celebrated
Inc. (CSI) her 90th Birthday,
saves lives. stay in her home –
the place she
We are feels most safe and
best known comfortable.
for our
Meal on Meals on Wheels
Wheels Each day, we provide over 1,000 meals to hungry and
Program. housebound seniors throughout sprawling Ocean County, New
Jersey. Last year, we traveled over 340,000 miles delivering
meals. To put that in perspective, that’s more
than a round trip from New York to Los Angeles
every single week!
www.csimow.org
5. Socialization and Nutrition
“Making Healthy Choices”
Staff Nutritionist
providing valuable
information on how to
read food labels
Congregate Meal Sites
For seniors who are still able to leave the house, yet
have difficulty or are unable to prepare their own meals,
CSI provides hot nutritious lunches throughout Ocean
County at our nine Congregate Meal centers.
seven
www.csimow.org
6. More Than • Information and Assistance
• Benefits Screening
Meals • Medical Transportation
In order for seniors to live
healthy, meaningful lives, you • Volunteer Friendly Visitor
have to meet more than just their
basic nutritional needs.
and Telephone Reassurance
That’s why CSI provides a wide • Physical Activity
range of social support services
from our two outreach offices • Language Translation and
that keep our seniors active and
busy. These outreach services are
Interpretation
available to all seniors 60 years of • Education
age or older.
• Nutrition Counseling
We put
smiles on
• Nutrition Education
Seniors’ • Social Recreation
faces!
www.csimow.org
7. Our Reality Before Sandy Hit
• Increasing Demand
Growing Waiting List
• Limited Budget
• Spiraling Costs
Fuel
Vehicle Maintenance
Food
Supplies
Insurance
Rents
www.csimow.org
9. PREPARATIONS
Saturday, October 27
• Gave homebound seniors valuable
emergency preparedness information,
important contact information and most
importantly, reassurance that we would
be back.
• We delivered extra “ready to eat”, non-
perishable meals as a precaution in case
we couldn’t get back easily.
None of us could anticipate the devastation
and hardship that Sandy would be bring.
www.csimow.org
12. • Within 24 hours (Tuesday,
RESPONSE Oct. 30) we were responding
We became FIRST
RESPONDERS. • We rallied our “troops”, and
Emergency personnel were prepared to get to our seniors
stretched to the limit with the
enormity of the storm – both on Wednesday.
the amount of the destruction
and the geographical area • On Wednesday, October 31
impacted.
we delivered the last of our
In many cases we were the
first and only people our “ready to eat”, non-
seniors saw for many days.
Our team put aside their own
perishable meals, several
personal challenges from the days supply, not knowing
storm and made helping our
seniors their top priority. what the future held.
www.csimow.org
13. DELIVERING HOT MEALS BY NOVEMBER 1ST!
Power outages meant the
loss of all our food and the
inability to prepare meals.
Fortunately we were able to
make arrangements with a
local restaurant and delivered
hot meals within 48 hours of
Sandy’s arrival!
We basically existed entirely
as a mobile operation. It was
critical that we get to our
seniors who were also
without power. We were
their lifeline and often their
only connection to the
outside world. Concerned
family members from out of
the area relied on our visits
as safety and well-being
checks – bringing peace of
mind to so many people.
www.csimow.org
14. As If Sandy Wasn’t Enough…
Just a few days later,
up to a foot of snow
was dumped in our
region.
We faced:
More Power Outages,
More Downed Trees,
More Blocked Roads,
and…
MORE COLD AND HUNGRY SENIORS
www.csimow.org
15. The Difference
We Made During Sandy
A client who is in hospice care with a terminal illness faced power
outages, no heat, a tree through his roof and another tree fell on
his shed housing his prized Harley Davidson. When asked what our
meals and visits meant to him, this was his reply:
Two
Thumbs
Up!
www.csimow.org
16. RECOVERY
We suffered significant losses:
Long Beach Island
Our kitchen and congregate site
in Long Beach Island destroyed
Our congregate site in
Lavallette destroyed
Food lost in both our Long
Beach Island and
Lakewood kitchens
$129,000 in extra costs for
“ready to eat” emergency
meals and restaurant
prepared meals
Had to layoff employees
Lavallette
Employees lost their homes and
entire contents
www.csimow.org
17. Seniors Hurting More Now
Throughout this crisis we
received no financial donations,
no extra personnel…not even a
phone call asking if we needed
anything. Yet this was nothing
compared to what our seniors
experienced.
They faced inconceivable When we showed up within 48
challenges before Sandy – what hours, Spencer exclaimed: “The
they face now is truly Meals on Wheels lady is here. I have
heartbreaking. never been so happy!” This is just
some of the debris from his home.
www.csimow.org
18. We Now Face Enormous Challenges
Before Sandy, our budget was stretched.
We need to recoup the $129,000 spent on
emergency and restaurant meals.
And we need to feed more seniors
(waiting list now over 200).
Funding cuts and the increased cost of goods and
services make our situation even more dire.
We face a daunting prospect:
cutting our services in a time
when the need is greatest.
www.csimow.org
19. With your
help,
we will
recover…
…and feed
more hungry
seniors!
At Community Services, Inc.
we deliver more than meals, we deliver hope.
