Walking (and Rolling) to Feed Children

Cat Balentine is the occupational therapist at Piedmont Health SeniorCare, located in Burlington, NC. The mission of Piedmont Health SeniorCare is “…to promote and sustain the independence of seniors wishing to remain in the community.”

Recently, Feed the Hunger received a gift of over $388 from this organization to provide life-sustaining food for children and families in need. Curious about the gift, we just had to find out the motivation behind it. What we found is a remarkable idea carried out by some incredible individuals!

Here’s their story. Back in 2013, the goal was to transform the afternoon “walking group” into an opportunity for participants to give back to the community. Working as a team, the group decided to raise funds that would be donated to a designated nonprofit cause or charity selected by the participants. Balentine says, “The program not only motivates some to be more active and promotes overall wellness, but it also gives our participants the opportunity to feel part of a group and allows them to feel in a way that they may not feel anymore, like they are a contributing member of society.”

Participants have an opportunity to walk – or roll – every day. Their laps are tallied daily and totals are kept. At the end of the month, total mileage is calculated, donations are gathered, and funds are sent to the designated group(s).

Over the last two years, Team PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) has logged 1,195 miles, raising $9,157 and benefitting 24 different organizations.

So, in August of this year, Team PACE logged 75 miles, which brought in $388 for Feed the Hunger. $388 provides 1,385 meals for malnourished children here in the US as well as around the world. The diagram below may help you visualize this a little better. The money raised by Team PACE is the equivalent of providing five children a nutritious meal each and every day of the school year. What a blessing!

A group of super seniors showed me how much fun it can be to raise money for a worthwhile cause. Now it’s your turn. How can YOU creatively provide more meals to those in need? We’d love to hear your comments!

Jim Gurley
Director of Development
Feed the Hunger

(original article located at: http://www.feedthehunger.org/walking-and-rolling-to-feed-children/)