We Are Family mobilizes a committed corps of community volunteers to bring services, advocacy, organizing, and companionship into the homes of 450 isolated, low-income seniors each month.
This project ensures 20 seniors will get a visit this Thanksgiving. The visits not only provide companionship, but also ensure that our seniors do not feel alone or forgotten around the holidays, a time when many may experience a special sense of loneliness.
Equally as important, the Thanksgiving basket deliveries provide an opportunity to check in on
our seniors, provide assistance where possible, and identify broader needs that can be served.
In addition, it is also an opportunity for our seniors to build transformative, on-going relationships with their volunteers.
Thanksgiving baskets include food for a
Thanksgiving meal - one whole uncooked 10-14
lb. turkey, 1 box of stuffing, a combination of 10
canned goods, including items such as canned
sweet potatoes, greens, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, and other vegetables.
Nearly one-tenth of U.S. adults who are 65 and older currently live at or below the federal poverty level.
All of the census tracts that make up our service areas have a poverty rate higher than DC's already high overall average of 18%. The poverty rates in our service areas range from 22% to more than twice that level.
Many of the seniors we serve are living on a monthly income of $800 or less and could not afford a turkey and other food items for a Thanksgiving meal.
More importantly, many of our elders also slip through the cracks of our shredded social safety net. When services exist, those who need them the most often won’t be aware of them. It also can be hard to know how to take advantage of such help. For services to matter, a bridge must exist between the available resources and those persons in need.
We Are Family has a tiny staff (one full-time,
one half-time); as a result, the vast majority of
our work is done by volunteers. Our staff will
coordinate our volunteers to assemble and deliver
the baskets during the Thanksgiving week.
About Me: Rachel has been volunteering with We Are Family (http://www.wearefamilydc.org) for nearly three years. We Are Family is an organization near and dear to Rachel's heart for many reasons. First and foremost, Rachel's priority, both personally and professionally, is helping to improve quality of life for at-risk individuals, particularly the elderly. Rachel lives in a gentrified neighborhood, Columbia Heights, where We Are Family focuses its outreach efforts. While gentrification brings more people, stores and resources to a neighborhood, it can also push out long-time residents who cannot afford rising rents and higher costs for other things. We Are Family works tirelessly to reach out to seniors who have weathered the bad times in this vibrant neighborhood so they can prosper during the good times. From delivering groceries in a hurricane and wrapping Christmas gifts to helping to organize the annual fundraiser and everything in between, Rachel has made volunteering with We Are Family a priority in her life. This fall, she signed up to be a community philanthropist and hopes you will help her efforts in raising awareness and money for this very special organization. Read about Columbia Heights' history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Heights_(Washington,_D.C.).
Steven G.
Arlington, VA
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Dena g.
Kensington, Maryland
Steven G. donated to DC4DC - We are Family: Senior Support! - 5 months ago visit the project
Dena g. donated to DC4DC - We are Family: Senior Support! - 6 months ago visit the project
Leslie R. donated to DC4DC - We are Family: Senior Support! - 7 months ago visit the project
Inbal K. donated to DC4DC - We are Family: Senior Support! - 7 months ago visit the project
Susan-Lisa G. donated to DC4DC - We are Family: Senior Support! - 7 months ago visit the project
The FACE AIDS Bay Area Ride is a one day, 50- or 15-mile bike ride through th... visit project
Jessica's 30-Day Yoga Challenge
From an early age, children in Cloetesville, South Africa are forced to strug... visit project
FACE AIDS 2012 Rwanda Back to School Campaign
The majority of youth in the Kirehe and Kayonza districts of Eastern Province... visit project
The FACE AIDS Bay Area Ride is a one day, 50- or 15-mile bike ride through th... visit project
DC4DC - DCGreens: In School Teaching Kitchen
The Farm at Walker Jones is an emerging one acre school farm located in the h... visit project
Music Therapy for Homeless Children - Detroit
In Michigan there are approximately 15,000 homeless children. The average hom... visit project
DC4DC - DCGreens: In School Teaching Kitchen
The Farm at Walker Jones is an emerging one acre school farm located in the h... visit project
Eric and Amy's Lighting Hope for Haiti Project
The earthquake in Haiti has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many o... visit project
Kindergarten Construction — Trung Chanh Village
Trung Chanh is one of seven villages in the mountainous region of Nui Thanh D... visit project
6-month Youth Reading Program - Brightmoor, Detroit
Wellspring’s Academic & Recreation Program is a year round after school progr... visit project