Meals on Wheels Plus responding to pandemic. Please consider donating | Letter to the editor

As chairman of the Board of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee County, I want to take this opportunity to thank the very giving and caring citizens of Manatee County.

Your contributions have made it possible for us to meet an unprecedented cry for help with food because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected us all.

Over the past month, we distributed over 52,000 meals through The Food Bank of Manatee in partnership with the school district (Food4Families Program), now feeding 600 families each week. For our seniors, we are delivering close to 4,000 meals, so our homebound elderly have nutrition for the week. Under the leadership of Maribeth Phillips, president & CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS, we will continue to respond to our community.

We are receiving 75% more calls each day. The dedicated staff are responding daily to these demands. As the staff respond to calls, we sent an appeal to the community to assist us. The citizens of Manatee have responded, showing your love and concern for those in need, especially during this unprecedented time. The work is not over, and we anticipate more and more families, including babies, children, and seniors will seek help during this unimaginable environment of uncertainty.

My message is that we will continue to respond and do everything in our power to be there for those in need. The increased costs of meeting these new demands were obviously unbudgeted. As we look to the weeks and months ahead, we do not want to turn anyone away who needs help.

Every donation (100%) to Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee stays local in Manatee County. Gifts can be made online at www.mealsonwheelsplus.org. We thank you for your support.

Mark Goodson, board chairman

Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee

Bradenton