SUCCESS STORY: One Good Meal Serving Veterans
Greater Lee’s Summit Healthcare Foundation is dedicated to promoting health and well-being in the Lee’s Summit area. Each year the Foundation partners with local organizations who are making a positive impact on the community. This year, grant funds totaling $74,500 were distributed to 12 grant awardees.
One grant in the amount of $2,500 was awarded to One Good Meal to support individuals who need meals. “You can’t believe how much the funding has helped,” said Roberta McArthur, Executive Director of One Good Meal. “We feed the elderly and homebound in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood, regardless of their income. Currently we are feeding about 40 of our community’s veterans. Most of them cannot afford their own food. Every penny of the GLSHF grant has gone to buy food. It is always that way with our grants. All the money goes strictly to food.”
Roberta focused on one recipient who has a particularly special story. “We have a client who is 99 years old. When he started with us, he had to walk to a store down the street from his home to get all his groceries.”
The distance was long for the elderly gentleman, who is a World War II veteran.
Roberta is still bothered by the gravity of the man’s situation. She said, “Every antenna in my body jumped up and down and said, ‘oh, no.’ We had to help.”
Now, instead of the 99-year-old war hero walking to the store and carrying back his food, One Good Meal has taken on the duties of doing all his groceries shopping for him through the support of grants and volunteers.
“We make sure he has a balanced meal. He gets fresh fruit and vegetables. We are also his transportation to the doctor and to the store.” Roberta explained.
The GLSHF grant has paid for food for recipients like this special member of the community and for many others. One Good Meal is using the funds to make a healthy difference in their corner of the community.
The Grant Cycle is open now for local nonprofits with health-focused programs to apply for funding. The deadline to apply for 2017 grants is October 31, 2016. Awardees will be announced in January 2017. For details, visit the GLSHF website at http://www.lshealthcare.org/grant-resources/
