1823-A Michigan AvenueSanta Monica, CA 90404

News l e t t e r

Meals On Wheels West is a 501(c)(3) not for profi t organization supported by charitable donations, fundraising events and partial grant funding from The City of Santa Monica.

Meals On Wheels West provides this newsletter as an informational resource to clients and supporters. Advice offered by included organizations should be independently verifi ed for accuracy.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAID SANTA MONICA,

CAPERMIT NO. 780

MOW-0008 Newletter-fin.indd 1 2/27/12 4:21 PM

Meals on Wheels West provides community based services that nourish and enrichthe lives of our homebound neighbors, of all ages, by providing nutritious meals,emergency preparedness and referrals to other services that promote independentliving and wellbeing.

ON

Delivering More Than a Meal CONNECTIONSMeals On Wheels West 1823-A Michigan Ave. Santa Monica CA 90404 March 2016

During the Month of March Refer - Volunteer - Donate

This March, Meals on Wheels West joins hundreds of programs across America asking their communities to support the Delivering More Than a Meal program. Your support helps us to deliver nutritious meals, make a friendly visit and conduct a non-intrusive Wellness Check. When you Join the March you help your neighbors-in-need to enjoy a healthy, happy and independent life in their homes.

JOIN THE MARCH! - REFER Refer veterans and any other neighbor-in-need to our healthy Delivering More Than a Meal program. People of all ages and all incomes qualify. No one is turned away due to inability to pay. Special meals for diabetics and other medically appropriate meals are available.

“I had a triple bypass and had to retire. I used to eat junk food but now I eat good, healthy food from Meals on Wheels West. It is always right on!”

…Joseph, veteran

JOIN THE MARCH! - VOLUNTEER The month of March is all about volunteering for MOW West! Join employees from Google, Watt Companies, Wells Fargo and service organizations including Rotary Club of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Lions Club, Pretenders Dance Studio, and SM Police Department in Delivering More Than a Meal to clients in our community.

JOIN THE MARCH! - DONATE Pictured above: WFB managers ready to deliver meals!

Wells Fargo Bank is a generous supporter! The Wells Fargo Branch at Arizona and 4th honored MOW West with a 2015 Community Connections grant. Thanks to Regional Supervisor Monica Melton, Peter Dudley, Jonathan Weedman, MOW West board member Kathrine Russell and all other Wells Fargo Bank employees.

SMC nursing students help out with health assessments

Meals On Wheels West 1823-A Michigan Ave. Santa Monica CA 90404 March 2016

During the Month of March Refer - Volunteer - Donate

This March, Meals on Wheels West joins hundreds of programs across America asking their communities to support the Delivering More Than a Meal program. Your support helps us to deliver nutritious meals, make a friendly visit and conduct a non-intrusive Wellness Check. When you Join the March you help your neighbors-in-need to enjoy a healthy, happy and independent life in their homes.

JOIN THE MARCH! - REFER Refer veterans and any other neighbor-in-need to our healthy Delivering More Than a Meal program. People of all ages and all incomes qualify. No one is turned away due to inability to pay. Special meals for diabetics and other medically appropriate meals are available.

“I had a triple bypass and had to retire. I used to eat junk food but now I eat good, healthy food from Meals on Wheels West. It is always right on!”

…Joseph, veteran

JOIN THE MARCH! - VOLUNTEER The month of March is all about volunteering for MOW West! Join employees from Google, Watt Companies, Wells Fargo and service organizations including Rotary Club of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Lions Club, Pretenders Dance Studio, and SM Police Department in Delivering More Than a Meal to clients in our community.

JOIN THE MARCH! - DONATE Pictured above: WFB managers ready to deliver meals!

Wells Fargo Bank is a generous supporter! The Wells Fargo Branch at Arizona and 4th honored MOW West with a 2015 Community Connections grant. Thanks to Regional Supervisor Monica Melton, Peter Dudley, Jonathan Weedman, MOW West board member Kathrine Russell and all other Wells Fargo Bank employees.

SMC nursing students help out with health assessments

Freda was a model at age 16! “I’m 93 and I need a walker now but I worked until I was 87. When I was 16 with beautiful red hair, I was a runway model for a dress company in New York. I have always been energetic and worked hard.” Freda moved to LA and was a “Rosie the Riveter” during WWII. At age 48, after raising two daughters she went back to school and became a court reporter for the Federal Court downtown.

When her husband suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, Freda was his primary caregiver. After his passing, she was an artist model for classes at SMC and Otis Art Institute. “I’m lucky to have lived so long and had so many interesting chapters in my life. “

“I’m so grateful for the help I receive from Meals on Wheels West. It helps me stay here in my little apartment.”

JOIN THE MARCH - REFER Client Stories

Dominga is a new client living in Venice! Welcome to Dominga! Like 50% of our clients she lives alone. The daily visits of our volunteers delivering meals undoubtedly lessens her loneliness.

Dominga lives in the Oakwood section of Venice. For many years she worked as a domestic struggling to make ends meet. Her long working hours and diabetes took a toll on her and she had a stroke that left her disabled. Dominga needs an oxygen tank at all times and is unable to leave her small apartment unassisted.

As part of our assuming responsibility for areas of Venice, MOW West delivers her meals and our Wellness Check monitors her health. Should there be any changes in her heath, volunteers will spot it and MOW West will reach out to her doctor.

Refer a Venice resident - no one is refused service due to inability to pay.

Joe was the Admiral’s body guard in Hawaii! Joseph was a Marine during the Vietnam War. Later in his service he was stationed in Hawaii as body guard to the Admiral. After being honorably discharged he founded a band and performed in Waikiki nightclubs.

Joseph then moved to Santa Monica, majoring in acting at SMC where he performed in more than twenty plays. Venice based Roger Corman’s American International Pictures cast him in half a dozen movies. While recovering at the VA hospital in West LA Joseph began working with disabled veterans.

Unfortunately, Joe had major surgery in 2014 leaving him homebound. “I’d like to thank Meals on Wheels West for helping me through my tough times when I had triple bypass heart surgery.”

MOW West, is proud to be partnering with LA Veterans Collaborative to provide meals to those who have served our country.

Pictured on the left are Lions members Manuela Selles (in the red scarf) and Alan Parr (blue shirt) with their delivery partners. Pictured on the right is Lions member Cathy Gill (to the left) with her delivery partner and Kevin McNulty, MOW West Chief Administrative Officer who is a long time friend of the Santa Monica Lions Club.

Santa Monica Lions Club came out for a day of service. Club President Susan Lee DeRemer remarked “The army of volunteers that deliver the meals was amazing and a true testament to the wonderful staff that keeps things running smoothly while making volunteers feel appreciated.”

JOIN THE MARCH - VOLUNTEER

JOIN THE MARCH - DONATE THANK YOU!

Our Heal Healthy at Home program addresses the needs of patients recently discharged from a hospital or rehabilitation facility. Recently, Providence St. John’s Health Center (PSJHC) has recognized the important role that providing nutritious home-delivered meals plays in the recovery of newly discharged patients.

“Providence St. John’s Health Center is excited to be partnering with Meals on Wheels West. Their services will benefit many of our vulnerable patients who do not have access to a nutritious diet. Working together, this important need can be met,” said Ron Sorensen, Director of Community Health Partnerships. “Funding for these meals granted through the PSJHC Community Benefits Program is greatly appreciated by MOW West and the Heal Healthy at Home clients we are now serving and will be serving,” remarked Chris Baca, Executive Director.

In addition PSJHC has provided funding for a part time bi-lingual outreach coordinator to help MOW West and Saint John’s better serve the Pico Neighborhood and Venice. This coordinator is needed to ensure that every-one is aware of and can access the comprehensive nutrition program provided by MOW West.

Providence St. John Health Center hosted a community lunch to recognize their community partners. In the photo (left to right) are Sister Colleen Settles Chief Mission Integration Officer for PSJHC, Chris Baca, MOW West Executive Director, Ellen Rabin, Director of Community Relations, and Ron Sorensen, Director of Community Health Partnerships at PSJHC. The Health Center ‘s core values includes nurturing the spiritual, physical and emotional well being of one another and those we serve.

A message from the Executive Director Dear friends and supporters:

Your generous support allows Meals on Wheels West to continue providing meals to your neighbors-in-need. More than 60% of our donations are from individuals and local organizations. Some of you give by check, some give online, some attend our Monster Bash and some volunteer. Every-one gives from the heart. Our clients, those who receive the meals, offer their heartfelt thanks.

Our Delivering More Than a Meal and Heal Healthy at Home programs don’t provide just home delivered meals. Our pro-grams provide a volunteer asking a client, “How are you feeling today? Are you hungry? It looks like you have lost a little weight. How’s your little dog?” Today, and throughout the years, this local independent Meals on Wheels program depends upon the support of the community to fund the support services we provide. Local donations are the heart and core of our program’s funding.

Some people think we receive a huge amount of government funding for the meals. The fact is that while we are very grateful for the government funding, the federal, state, county and city funding is 17% of revenue. Government funding is not enough to run our programs. Last year the number of meals MOW West provided grew by 27%. Our volunteers delivered 85,000 meals in our communities. We have seen another 13% in growth already in 2016. We have a client, Rueben who is 78 years old and has received meals for 15 years. When MOW West brings on a new client it is a commitment to provide meals for them for as long as needed.

For over 40 years MOW West has provided our services at low cost. If you review the pie charts you will see that our local agency is an efficient organization. The contribution of the volunteers’ time along with the use of their vehicles helps MOW West to be sustainable. MOW West is highly rated by charity reviewers. MOW West has been serving the community since 1974.

All donations, large and small, go to the purchase of the meals. Every donation counts. Your $56 donation will provide More Than a Meal for a week to someone in your community. The good news is that MOW West provided home delivered meals to all in need and with your help we will continue to do so.

Last year, individual donations made up 49% of our revenue.

I know I can depend on you to Refer - Volunteer - Donate.

Thank you for supporting Meals on Wheels West Statement of Activities from 2014-15 audit

performed by Gumbiner Savett, Inc. CPA

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2014-2015

The Hidden Hungry in MalibuMalibu has beautiful beaches and star studded residents but some residents of Malibu are the Hidden Hungry. Behind closed doors are residents who may own their homes but struggle to survive on Social Security or other fixed income. Although they live in the beautiful canyons and hills, the Hidden Hungry are isolated and often suffering from chronic illness. Meals on Wheels West provides a hot healthy lunch and a caring visit to reduce both hunger and isolation which enables these long time Malibu residents to age at home with dignity.

Meals on Wheels West has been providing home delivered meals to folks in Malibu since 1991. When our volunteer stops in to deliver a meal each is a smiling neighbor who greets people by name, provide a caring “Wellness Check” that monitors the health and wellbeing of their clients and encourage people to seek additional help when needed. Unfortunately volunteers do sometimes need to contact emergency services. At those critical moments, our volunteers are truly Delivering More Than a Meal.

The Malibu Times recently featured Heidi Amundson, one of our longtime Malibu volunteers, in their Face of Malibu feature. Heidi, like many other volunteers, feels the experience of delivering meals is rewarding. She appreciates that the meals are made fresh daily and that the Meals on Wheels staff show they care about the clients by sending them birthday cards and other holiday treats. Heidi knows our program is about Delivering More Than a Meal.

The Malibu City Council recognizes the important role of home delivered meals in empowering folks to continue living in their homes and provides some grant funding each year. Lou La Monte, City Council Member and former Mayor of Malibu, is a longtime supporter of the efforts of Meals on Wheels West. Lou has made it an annual tradition to deliver meals during our March for Meals awareness campaign. Councilwoman Laura Rosenthal has also enjoyed the experience of delivering meals. Everyone in Malibu is invited to participate in March for Meals by referring a client, volunteering to deliver meals or making a donation.

Meals on Wheels West treasures the support of Richard L. Cupp, Professor Pepperdine Law School. Richard has been a member of the Meals on Wheels West Board of Directors since 2009. “When my grandfather was not able to drive and had no nearby relatives, Meals on Wheels provided him good food and human contact. That was a great blessing. After seeing first-hand how Meals on Wheels helped my family, I knew that I would be passionate about working with Meals on Wheels West.”

University Church of Christ is another long time supporter. Church members attended our annual Monster Bash fundraiser.

Meals on Wheels West needs the support of Malibuites to continue to provide services to vulnerable neighbors through-out our service area. Volunteers are needed to power the wheels. Donations are sorely needed to purchase meals. Our new Veterans Initiative expands the reach of services. MOW West is proud to serve those who have served our country.

Through a partnership with local hospitals, MOW West is able to provide much needed dietary appropriate meals to newly discharged patients who will need to Heal Healthy at Home.

As the need for our Delivering More Than a Meal program grows, MOW West will depend on your generosity.

We know we can depend on you to Refer - Volunteer - Donate.

Heidi Amundson painted by Johanna Spinks

Keeping People and Pets Together

Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies set up Giving Trees during the holiday season that raised needed funding for local Meals on Wheels programs to provide pet food to clients’ companion pets. This partnership, launched in 2012 by MOW West, is now benefitting twelve Los Angeles County Meals on Wheels programs and feeding hundreds of companion cats and dogs.

Thank you to Chris Nakagawa, Centinela CEO and the customers who donated to the giving trees!

Have a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared!

Mauro and Vanessa are proud of the giving trees over-flowing with donation leaves purchased by customers at the Santa Monica Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies store.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MOW West is a proud partner with the City of Santa Monica Office of Emergency Management

and enjoys the sponsorship of Southern California Edison

CERT Volunteers led by Lindsay Folsom and Paul Weinberg, Director of the Santa Monica Office of Emergency Management and distributed emergency food supplies to MOW West clients.

With a special grant from Edison International, MOW West is able to purchase Coast Guard approved 3 day emergency meal kits which include food bars, water, space blanket, and a wind up/battery powered radio/flashlight. These emergency meal kits have a certified 5 year shelf life.

There may be times during a natural disaster or other emergencies that our home-delivered meal delivery may be interrupted. These meal kits are designed to fill that temporary void.

Everyone is urged to create lists of emergency contact info, medications, doctors and medical devices and share the lists with family members or neighbors.

Handmade Valentine Cards flooded the office thanks to a campaign by DoSomething.org. The cards brought smiles and joy to the clients. Many thanks to all the card makers!

1823-A Michigan AvenueSanta Monica, CA 90404

News l e t t e r

Meals On Wheels West is a 501(c)(3) not for profi t organization supported by charitable donations, fundraising events and partial grant funding from The City of Santa Monica.

Meals On Wheels West provides this newsletter as an informational resource to clients and supporters. Advice offered by included organizations should be independently verifi ed for accuracy.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAID SANTA MONICA,

CAPERMIT NO. 780

MOW-0008 Newletter-fin.indd 1 2/27/12 4:21 PM

Meals on Wheels West provides community based services that nourish and enrichthe lives of our homebound neighbors, of all ages, by providing nutritious meals,emergency preparedness and referrals to other services that promote independentliving and wellbeing.

1823-A Michigan AvenueSanta Monica, CA 90404

News l e t t e r

Meals On Wheels West is a 501(c)(3) not for profi t organization supported by charitable donations, fundraising events and partial grant funding from The City of Santa Monica.

Meals On Wheels West provides this newsletter as an informational resource to clients and supporters. Advice offered by included organizations should be independently verifi ed for accuracy.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAID SANTA MONICA,

CAPERMIT NO. 780

MOW-0008 Newletter-fin.indd 1 2/27/12 4:21 PM

Meals on Wheels West provides community based services that nourish and enrichthe lives of our homebound neighbors, of all ages, by providing nutritious meals,emergency preparedness and referrals to other services that promote independentliving and wellbeing.

MEALSWHEELSWEST

ON

Delivering More Than a Meal

MEALSWHEELSWEST

ON

Delivering More Than a Meal

CONNECTIONS

1823-A Michigan AvenueSanta Monica, CA 90404

MOW West Staff Contact Info 310-394-5133

Clients & Referrals Angel Ext 1 Director of Volunteers Joanna Ext 3 Executive Director Chris Ext 4 CAO/Donor relations Kevin Ext 5 Info & Communication Ellen Ext 6 Services Assistant Rebecca Ext 8 Direct line for volunteers 310-394-7558

Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Website: MealsOnWheelsWest.org

Email: Info@MealsOnWheelsWest.org

Refer - Volunteer - DonateVisit us on GuideStar

A debilitating back injury makes it difficult for Mrs. Hill to get out of the house to shop and prepare meals. Despite these hardships, she stays positive and appreciates the daily visits and conversations with the Meals on Wheels volunteers.

"The service is not just delivering meals, the volunteers are so friendly. I was greatly touched by their thoughtfulness."

MOW West Staff Contact Info 310-394-5133

Clients & Referrals Angel Ext 1 Director of Volunteers Joanna Ext 3 Executive Director Chris Ext 4 CAO/Donor relations Kevin Ext 5 Info & Communication Ellen Ext 6 Services Assistant Rebecca Ext 8 Direct line for volunteers 310-394-7558

Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Website: MealsOnWheelsWest.org

Email: Info@MealsOnWheelsWest.org

Refer - Volunteer - DonateVisit us on GuideStar

A debilitating back injury makes it difficult for Mrs. Hill to get out of the house to shop and prepare meals. Despite these hardships, she stays positive and appreciates the daily visits and conversations with the Meals on Wheels volunteers.

"The service is not just delivering meals, the volunteers are so friendly. I was greatly touched by their thoughtfulness."