The nonprofit Focus: HOPE is looking for volunteers to deliver food to hundreds of seniors in metro Detroit on a Saturday later this month.
This year, the Detroit-based organization is expanding its annual holiday delivery effort to 100 additional seniors, up from 1,400 the year before. On December 21, volunteers will deliver holiday-themed food boxes to low-income seniors struggling to afford basic necessities in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.
“The seniors in our food program make extremely difficult decisions with their money every month,” said Rachel Sherman, volunteer department manager at Focus: HOPE. “They’re deciding between buying food or buying medicine. They’re deciding between buying food or paying a phone bill or their electricity bill.”
The holiday delivery for seniors is expanding to 1,500 recipients this year because Focus: HOPE has additional federal money for its food program, Sherman said. It comes at the right time as the need for food assistance among seniors continues.
The nonprofit Focus: HOPE is looking for volunteers to deliver food to hundreds of seniors in metro Detroit on December 21 at 8 a.m.
The Christmas delivery for seniors is part of Focus: HOPE’s Food for Seniors program, which provides monthly food boxes to more than 42,000 seniors in nine Michigan counties from Wayne to Huron. These packages usually contain produce, grains, milk and cheese. The upcoming special deliveries are geared toward the holidays and will offer cake mix, frosting, cornbread and a frozen turkey, in addition to fresh produce and shelf-stable items. Recipients were randomly selected for Focus: HOPE’s Food for Seniors program special deliveries.
“It’s really nice to be able to give them this extra holiday box and use this money to do that because it’s something that they want. It’s not something that they just need to survive,” Sherman said.
More: Detroit children spot themselves in a vibrant new mural celebrating African culture
More: The right athletic program makes a difference for children with special needs
Focus: HOPE is looking for about 150 more people to join the 500 volunteers needed to get the job done. Volunteers can deliver food, load cars or direct traffic on site. Deliveries will run from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on December 21.
Interested volunteers should register at www.bit.ly/fHshD24. For questions, please call Focus: HOPE at 313-494-4270 or email volunteers@focushope.edu. The deadline for registering as a volunteer is December 17.
Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @NushratR.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Focus: HOPE needs volunteers to deliver food to low-income seniors
