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Comfort Keepers food drive under way

Photo by Jess Mancini From left, Publisher Jim Spanner of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and The Marietta Times, Amy Fleak with Comfort Keepers of the Mid-Ohio Valley and Melissa Ogden with Community Resources model the Feed Seniors Now food collection bins. The collection bins will be placed at businesses and organizations in Wood and Washington counties. Food will be collected through Dec. 31. The program benefits seniors during winter months.

At least one in nine seniors is at risk of going hungry due to the inability to obtain food for their household or from having to choose between food and medical care, according to Feeding America.

Comfort Keepers in Marietta is asking the community to make food donations in the 13th Annual Feed Seniors Now Food Drive. The drive will help local seniors and will raise awareness for this growing epidemic impacting millions of older Americans.

How to donate:

¯ Go to the company’s Facebook Fundraising Page by clicking Help Comfort Keepers Feed Seniors Now or go to its Facebook page, CKMidOhioValley to see the pinned post with the link to the Fundraising Page.

¯ Order food online and have it shipped to Comfort Keepers at 148C Gross St., Marietta, OH 45750. Include a gift tag so it will be known who shipped the donations.

¯ Send a check to Comfort Keepers at 148C Gross St., Marietta, OH 45750. Note “Feed Seniors Now” on the memo line.

¯ Drop off food or monetary donations to Comfort Keepers at 148C Gross St.

¯ Contribute to the Venmo @Feed-Seniors-Now or use the QR code.

¯ Drop food in collection bins at the following locations: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, 519 Juliana St., Parkersburg; Brick Insurance, 2404 Camden Ave., Parkersburg; Professional Radiator and Tire, 1910 12th Ave., Parkersburg; First Mutual Bank, 3850 Emerson Ave, Parkersburg; YMCA, 1800 30th St., Parkersburg; Brick Insurance, 900 Front St., Marietta; St. Mary School, 320 Marion St., Marietta; Dollar General, Frontier Shopping Center, Marietta; First Mutual Bank, 631 Washington Blvd, Belpre; Belpre Dental Studio, 218 Maple St., Belpre.

Requested food is:

¯ Canned proteins such as tuna, beef stew, chili, chicken, pink salmon

¯ Low sodium soups, cream soups

¯ Smooth peanut butter

¯ Canned vegetables (low sodium), fruits (light syrup), applesauce

¯ Shelf-stable milk

¯ Unsweetened juices – apple, grape, tomato, orange, cranapple

¯ Cereals – Corn Flakes, Bran Flakes, Shredded Wheat

For more information on the local Feed Seniors Now† food drive, contact your Comfort Keepers at 740-373-7125.

“At Comfort Keepers, we believe that everyone deserves to live with connection, purpose and joy. For seniors in our community, living the highest quality of life starts with having their basic needs met.” said David Yeomans, CEO of Comfort Keepers of the Mid-Ohio Valley. “We cannot fight every factor affecting hunger, but we can start here in our community by creating awareness about the issue, collecting donations, and educating families about the signs of hunger and malnutrition in their senior loved ones.”

Too many seniors are not having their nutritional needs met. Changes in the body as it ages, and changing dietary needs, can make healthy eating more difficult for older adults, the company said. One in three hospital patients is malnourished upon admission and almost a third of U.S. patients experience declines in nutritional status while in the hospital.

The health risks associated with malnutrition can be especially concerning for seniors. Symptoms can include a weakened immune system and poor wound healing.

The food drive aims to help seniors preserve their independence by providing diet and nutrition information, encouragement and necessities.

“The good news is, there are things that seniors and their families can do to ensure that nutrition needs are being met. In addition to talking with a healthcare professional, one of the best things that families can do is eat meals together and make family dinners a social occasion,” Yeomans said.

“Finding budget friendly, nutritious food and shopping together can also help. And there are options for seniors that need extra assistance getting groceries or preparing meals. Comfort Keepers caregivers can help with meal planning, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and support for physician-prescribed diets.”

Comfort Keepers of the Mid-Ohio Valley has been locally owned and operated since 2004. It has provided more than 1.3 million hours of service to clients in the area.

It is part of a national franchise system that delivers Quality of Life services through a network of over 700 locations around the world.

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