Group delivers holiday meals to seniors, struggling families

By Dave Clark

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 | midnight

Meals on Wheels does not deliver on Thanksgiving. And this year, low-income families are struggling to provide a traditional holiday meal.

Filling these voids is Henderson-based HopeLink, an organization that helps the working poor. Each year, the group identifies homebound seniors, and St. Thomas More Catholic Community prepares between 350 and 400 meals for them.

HopeLink also delivers entire ready-to-cook dinners to about 80 families experiencing financial difficulties.

"For low-income families, getting all of the traditional fixings for a meal is not easy in this economy," HopeLink Executive Director Daniele Dreitzer said. "They're hoping to enjoy the holiday without experiencing the stress of having to provide those items."

Those items delivered via HopeLink include a turkey, gravy, roasting pan, stuffing, vegetables and pie. The meals are offered to families the organization has already been working with on a long-term basis.

Dreitzer said the program has grown significantly since its inception eight years ago, when only eight to 10 families were served.

Initiated during that same time frame was the senior program, where St. Thomas More handles all of the food preparation and distribution. HopeLink identifies seniors lacking the ability to cook for themselves through Meals on Wheels and senior apartment communities. They then relay the information to St. Thomas More.

"For the seniors, it's really an opportunity to get a Thanksgiving meal they otherwise wouldn't get," Dreitzer said. "It's also an opportunity to socialize with someone on Thanksgiving. Those delivering the meals just really do a great job of trying to engage the seniors and let them know somebody does care about them on Thanksgiving Day."

While additional volunteers for both these programs are not needed, Dreitzer said, financial donations are. Fundraising for HopeLink has dropped 20 percent from a year ago. Coinciding with the drop are more families in need, unable to maintain steady employment.

"With year-end giving time, we're hoping things go well," Dreitzer said. "Financial contributions are what we need the most."

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or dave.clark@hbcpub.com.