About 70 people gathered at Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana to officially launch Light the Night for Senior Hunger, Powered by NIPSCO. The year-end campaign is underway to raise funds to deliver nutritious meals to seniors and other adults in need.
Gifts of $25 or more light a luminary on the Meals on Wheels (MOW) campus. This year, thanks to a generous donation from NIPSCO, donations of $50 or more will be matched by NIPSCO up to $10,000.
Donations can be made online at www.mownwi.org, in person at Meals on Wheels, or by taking a donation envelope “ornament” from one of 26 Community Trees hosted by local businesses.
Luminaries will be lighted every evening from November 29 through January 4 2019.
The public is invited to drive by to see the lights at 8446 Virginia St in Merrillville.
“The lights serve as a symbol of compassion and hope for the nutrition, health, and wellbeing of seniors in Northwest Indiana,” said Sandra Noe, Executive Director. “At the holidays, care for our seniors and their sense of connection is even more important. With the support of the community, we can raise $65,000 to deliver more than 13,000 meals.”
One in six adults in Indiana struggles with nutrition. Those who receive Meals on Wheels have fewer falls, hospital stays, and emergency department visits, and lower medical spending. The wellness check helps seniors remain safely in their homes and can delay or eliminate the need for seniors living alone to move in with relatives, or enter assisted living or a long-term care facility. The cost of providing home-delivered meals daily for a year is far less than a single day of hospitalization.
"NIPSCO is proud to assist in the efforts of ensuring that seniors and others in need are able to receive meals," said Rick Calinski, public affairs manager at NIPSCO. "We realize that there is a need for donations all year long, but with the holiday season upon us, we wanted to do all that we could to see that as many individuals as possible could be helped."