Nutritionally-challenged older adults in the greater Des Moines area will continue to receive warm, nutritional meals thanks in part to more than $64,000 raised through the WesleyLife Meals on Wheels An Extraordinary Meal event. The 2012 event was held on Thursday, Sept. 27.
The event included culinary selections from the elite chefs of the WesleyLife dining partner,Morrison, a silent and live auction. Bob Montgomery, OnMedia Vice President of Marketing; and Suku Radia, Bankers Trust President and CEO; served as masters of ceremonies. In all, proceeds raised will deliver more than 10,000 free or reduced-cost meals to older adults in Polk and eastern Dallas county.
"The WesleyLife Meals on Wheels program is one of the most well-respected services we, as a community, provide to so many of our older citizens. The annual fundraiser set a new record surpassing $61,000 of contributions which is $20,000 more than the prior year amount," says Suku Radia, CEO and President of Bankers Trust, who co-chaired this year's event. "We live in one of the most decent communities in the world - our citizens get it!"
WesleyLife Meals on Wheels currently serves 900 meals daily to home-bound clients, of which 85 percent of the meals are provided to clients at low or no cost. WesleyLife Meals on Wheels clients are never turned away for inability to pay. A recent Meals on Wheels Association of America study found nearly six million older adults face the threat of hunger, which equals more than 11 percent of the older adult population in the United States.
Photo above, left to right: Event celebrity server Bryce Miller; event celebrity server Sonya Heitshusen; Steve Wandro and event celebrity server Meredith Garman take a moment to enjoy the 2012 WesleyLife Meals on Wheels fundraising event, An Extraordinary Meal.