OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of volunteers woke up early Christmas morning to serve their community and, specifically, help senior citizens in Osceola County, by delivering more than 300 Christmas meals.
What You Need To Know
Osceola Council on Aging served more than 300 meals to senior citizens on Christmas morning.
Their Meals on Wheels program regularly delivers meals to people in need throughout Osceola County. However, volunteers said human connection is especially important on the holidays when many are alone
Per NIH data, roughly one in four Americans over the age of 65 faces social isolation or loneliness of some sort
The holidays often magnify loneliness for senior citizens who are spending Christmas without loved ones close by. Osceola Council on Aging CEO Wendy Ford said their goal, through preparing and delivering meals, is making sure everyone feels cared for during the holidays.
“It’s really important that the seniors get a meal and a visit the day of Christmas, because oftentimes they’re alone. They don’t have any family, even friends,” Ford said. “A lot of times they’re just homebound. So, it’s so important for them to have some kind of connection during the holidays.”
“So, hot meal and a gift, it just brightens their whole day and their whole year,” Ford added. “They look forward to it every year.”
The Council on Aging has done this for several decades, according to Ford.
“I’ve been with the council nearly 30 years, and in my 30 years of being here, just to make sure that the seniors have what they need and that they’re not lonely during the holidays,” Ford said.
A National Institutes of Health study found that about 24%, or one in four, Americans aged 65 and older, are considered “socially isolated.”
Ford said Osceola County’s 65-and-up population is no stranger to this data.
“Oftentimes I’ve seen them just — they sit and they wait for their family to show up and they don’t show up or they don’t have family,” Ford said. “So, it’s just so important that we step in and that we fill that gap for them.”
Chris May and Jeremy Lanier have been volunteering on Christmas for several years, in addition to regularly volunteering with Meals on Wheels. They said it is a tradition that is meaningful to them.
“Well, it’s certainly made me a lot more grateful that we still have family nearby that we can visit and see and celebrate with,” May said.
Lanier said serving has opened their eyes to the need for human connection during the holidays, and that many people in their own community struggle with loneliness.
“It’s not just age, but at some time in our life, we’re all going to need some kind of connection with people and some kind of human contact,” Lanier said.
“I would say there are many people who are challenged financially just to pay their bills, especially in the current economy,” Lanier added. “Food security is one of the biggest issues, I think, facing our community.”
Dining and Cooking