Meals on Wheels San Francisco Receives $500,000 Grant from Delta Dental Neighborhood Care Basis
SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2021 / PRNewswire / – The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation and Meals on Wheels San Francisco today announced a partnership to improve the oral health of the Bay Area’s most vulnerable seniors. Meals on Wheels received a grant from $ 500,000 in support of his operations and to start planning for future work.
March, 20th World Oral Health Day is a global campaign encouraging people to “band together to reduce the burden of oral disease”. Seniors face unique oral health challenges, but are a group that is sadly overlooked. Getting older shouldn’t mean living with oral health problems or tooth loss.
“Improving the oral health of older adults is a priority for the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation,” he said Kenzie Ferguson, Vice President for Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility at Delta Dental von California. “Meals on Wheels by San Francisco is an incredible organization that can help us understand the challenges facing this group and work directly with vulnerable seniors to provide education, resources and services. “
Meals on Wheels already offers special diets for customers who have problems chewing or swallowing. This makes them a natural partner in solving problems related to vulnerable older adults and oral health. The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation aims to find ways to understand oral care challenges in older adults and is working with partners on solutions to remove these barriers.
“We are grateful to have received this scholarship and we applaud Delta Dental for strengthening it during a time of crisis for our vulnerable population of senior citizens living in the city,” he said Ashley McCumber, CEO and Executive Director of Meals on Wheels in San Francisco. “Our partnership will allow us to provide education and other resources to our customers so they can be more proactive about their oral health.”
Proper nutrition is essential to oral and general health, and there are specific links between oral health and food insecurity that make this partnership particularly relevant. Food insecurity is associated with an increased risk of dental caries, which causes tooth decay. On the other end of the spectrum, missing teeth or other conditions that cause mouth and jaw pain make eating difficult and affect the ability to eat properly.
March is March for Meals Month – a time when local Meals on Wheels programs across the country are recognizing the re-approval of the Older Americans Act of 1972, which paved the way for funding for nutrition programs for seniors. The programs, including San Francisco, invite local, state and federal officials to deliver meals to seniors’ homes while raising awareness of food insecurity issues that older adults face on a daily basis.
More activities have been added due to concerns about COVID-19, including sending maps, making phone calls, and holding Zoom meetings with local and state officials. Delta Dental has provided Meals on Wheels customers with 4000 dental kits and sent around 1000 cards with them in mind.
Via the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation works with local communities to improve access to care, support dental education, and fund research that advances the field of oral health. Since 2011, the foundation has more than awarded $ 60 million in 15 states and DC The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California and its affiliates, including Delta Dental Insurance Company, Delta Dental of Pennsylvania and Delta Dental from new York, Inc.
Media contact:
Tami Holzman
[email protected]
415-216-4367
SOURCE Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
