PSR Receives $2,500 From MOW America and PetSmart Charities® to Support Clients and Their Pets10/29/2020
 Pictured are PSR staff Nikki Dean and Jim Christie displaying the pet food that has been distributed. Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) is proud to announce that it has received a $2,500 Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grant through Meals on Wheels America, for its pet support program, PSR’s Pet Love Program.
The funding was used to provide food and supplies for the pets of PSR’s home delivered meal clients, which can often be a financial and physical challenge for older adults to manage on their own. The funds have been spent down. “This grant is just another opportunity PSR staff have identified and captured for the benefit of our clients and region,” said PSR CEO Justine Young. “Nikki Dean, our Nutrition Program Coordinator, takes a huge interest in her clients and their well-being. She has recognized the importance of pets in the overall health of our aging population.” “This grant we applied for has allowed access to thousands of pounds of dog and cat food and cat litter to older adults across Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties,” said Dean. “It’s so important to keep older adults with their beloved pets, especially when most of those older adults were socially isolated even before the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, and now it’s become worse.” Funding for this grant was made possible through a partnership with PetSmart Charities, part of Meals on Wheels America’s strategic effort to combat social isolation and loneliness among seniors across the country. This year, PetSmart Charities’ support allowed Meals on Wheels America to grant $354,500 to 98 Meals on Wheels programs through the Meals on Wheels Loves Pets initiative, which ensures that homebound seniors and their animal companions can live happy, healthy lives together. “The companionship a pet offers enhances the physical and mental health and well-being of homebound seniors, which is particularly valuable as so many older adults are feeling even more lonely and isolated amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander. “We’re grateful for PetSmart Charities’ ongoing support, which has allowed us to invest Meals on Wheels Loves Pets grants in more local Meals on Wheels programs than ever before. This support will enable PSR to provide pet supplies and care to local seniors, making it more feasible for seniors to remain safe and healthy at home with their beloved companions during this public health emergency and beyond.”  Nineteen businesses and organizations -- including Piedmont Senior Resources -- participated in the Paint the Town Purple event in Farmville to bring more awareness to Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia. Pictured are Marion Kyner, with the Alzheimer's Association, Nikki Dean and Jordan Miles with PSR.
As part of The 2020 Subaru Share the Love Event, join Marion Kyner, Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist and Alzheimer's Association Representative, along with PSR staff, for an open, virtual discussion about supporting caregivers and persons with dementia during the holidays. We will also be discussing ways the community can support The 2020 Share the Love Event! Details about the event are below.
For more details, contact PSR Director of Nutrition and Transportation Jordan Miles at jmiles@psraaa.org or 434-767-5588. Virtual is free and open to the public. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83220904709?pwd=SUE1bXI4T1dvZWFxWjZiZ3JBZVMvUT09 Meeting ID: 832 2090 4709 Passcode: PSR Call In: (929) 205-6099 (New York) Meeting ID: 832 2090 4709 Passcode: 885824 Piedmont Senior Resources (PSR) is proud to announce that it has received a $10,000 TRUIST Foundation COVID-19 Response grant for its home-delivered meal program, specifically toward the purchase of a new retro-fitted refrigerator van to safely transport meals to older adults.
PSR provides home delivered meals, COVID-19 care packages, pet food, shelf-stable boxes and more essentials to more than 500 older adults across Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties. This grant, one which became available through the Meals on Wheels of America network, is just another opportunity PSR staff have identified and captured for the benefit of our clients and region. “With our two refrigerator vans aging, we put top priority on seeking funding for a new vehicle to better help us get more meals and essentials to our clients,” said Director of Transportation and Nutrition Thomas Jordan Miles III. “This grant will help offset the cost of the purchase of a new van, which will allow us to expand our delivery capacity and eventually replace our aging fleet.” Miles said the agency and the region are thankful for TRUIST’s corporate responsibility to the community. For more information about PSR’s home-delivered meal program, contact Miles at 434-767-5588.  PSR received a $50K grant to support senior SNAP Enrollment. This grant will assist in closing the hunger gap and enhance access to SNAP benefits for our seniors in the seven rural counties we service, giving them the opportunity to access healthier foods and live a healthier life.
This grant from The National Council on Aging’s Center for Benefits Access will allow PSR to expand services to our current clients and also support new clients. PSR can significantly impact hundreds of the seniors in our communities. Our aging population continues to climb, challenging our agency to provide quality services to the increasing number of seniors. Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging staff recently attended the 2020 Virtual Meals on Wheels of America Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Califorina. The conference included numerous sessions, one of which PSR staff members Jordan Miles and Nikki Dean led discussions on how small programs and agencies have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in serving older adults. Pictured are Jordan Miles and Nikki Dean leading discussions via the virtual platform with Meals on Wheels members from across the United States.
Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging is partnering with the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts in an effort to deliver more engaging activities to homebound older adults across the seven-county region PSR serves. The bags included sun catcher art crafts and a word search related to sun catchers, and were recently delivered to homebound older adults. Pictured with LCVA craft bags are Nikki Dean and Jordan Miles with PSR.  PSR recently participated in fiscal training with the Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging in Richmond. Pictured are, from left, PSR CEO Justine Young, VAAAA President Thelma Bland Watson, and PSR Director of Transportation, Nutrition and Medical Transportation Jordan Miles. Not pictured is Mari Rodgers, PSR CFO.  |
