Walmart Foundation Donates $5 Million to Fight Senior Hunger

USA - English

• Latin America - español

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walmart Foundation today announced a $5 million grant to Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) to help fight senior hunger in communities across the nation. Through the grant, MOWAA will boost the efforts of Senior Nutrition Programs (SNPs), organizations that provide critical services to more than six million seniors in the U.S. currently facing the threat of hunger.

"We know that seniors are among those hardest hit by hunger in this country. Many are home-bound, and rely on neighbors and community volunteer programs like Meals On Wheels to help put food on the table," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. "Through this $5 million grant, we hope to bring additional attention to senior hunger and help ensure our parents, grandparents and friends who have added so much to our lives have access to healthy and nutritious food."

Part of Walmart's $2 billion commitment to support hunger relief efforts through 2015, MOWAA will use the funding in several ways, including:

• Funding "Walmart Foundation-MOWAA Building the Future Grants" to help more than 100 local Meals On Wheels programs purchase stoves, refrigerators, trucks and other equipment needed in the fight to end senior hunger in local communities;
• Forming the Walmart Institute for Senior Nutrition Education, a new training initiative consisting of Senior Nutrition Certificate program training sessions and online resources for senior nutrition professionals and the general public;
• Creating the MOWAA State-Affiliate Training Wheels Program to help organize additional MOWAA affiliated State Associations across the U.S.

The announcement comes on MOWAA's Mayors for Meals day when more than 1,000 mayors and other elected officials ride along with MOWAA drivers to deliver meals to seniors in need in local communities across the country. Many seniors struggle with hunger because of a lack of resources to access or prepare food due to limits in transportation, mobility or health problems.  MOWAA's Member programs have the ability to deliver much needed nutritious meals directly to seniors, which makes the organization a valued partner in Walmart's effort to help end hunger.

"At Meals On Wheels, our goal is to deliver meals so that no senior goes hungry," said Enid Borden, president and CEO of Meals On Wheels Association of America. "We are thankful to Walmart and appreciate their assistance as a long-standing partner in our efforts to reduce and ultimately end senior hunger in the U.S. With this grant and their continued support, we will be able to make a difference for the thousands of seniors in America who are going to bed hungry right now."

Later this spring, the recipients of the Walmart Foundation-MOWAA Building the Future Grants will be announced. For more information, visit www.walmartfoundation.org or www.walmart.com/fightinghunger

About Meals On Wheels

The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest national organization in the United States representing those programs that provide meals to people in need. To obtain more information about MOWAA or to locate a local Meals On Wheels program, visit the MOWAA website at www.mowaa.org.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.

SOURCE Walmart Foundation