Studer Community Institute

Manna partners with Westminster Village to feed seniors

December 19, 2014
/ Ben Sheffler
/ community-dashboard

The way Dorothy Baldwin was raised, if you had to make do, you made do. "The way I was raised, if you have to eat peas and beans everyday, you do what you have to do until things get better," she says. "So that’s what I did." Baldwin, who has lived for the last 10 years at Westminster Village on North L Street, was one of more than 100 seniors at the 356-apartment retirement community who were struggling to get enough to food to eat. Living on $100 a month after the bills are paid isn't easy, but that's what residents did until Manna Food Pantries stepped in. Manna began a partnership with Westminster Village in March that gives 160 residents two weeks worth of food a month. "They are at that point in their life where they don’t have a whole lot of options in terms of earning money, and for us to be able to be a part of this and to help, with the collaboration at Westminster, is very enriching and very exciting for us," says DeDe Flounlacker, executive director of Manna. The typical resident who qualifies for the program is about 70.5 years old and has a monthly income of $793. Manna gives these residents about two weeks worth of food each month. To qualify, residents must have only a limited amount of public assistance and at least 85 percent of their income going toward "eligible expenses," such as medications, rent and utilities, and health products. About 34,000 pounds of food has been provided to the residents since the program began. "The program with Manna is extremely helpful because these people, before the Manna program, were usually faced with 'Do I buy my medicines or do I buy food?'" says Jim Wilde, administrator at Westminster Village. "So Manna's been a fantastic help to us and is the only good source of food for a lot of our residents." Baldwin says she saves at least $30 a month because of the program. "It's a great program to help people who are struggling with low income," she says. "I really do appreciate it, and I think everybody at Westminster does too." Wilde says it was frightening for the residents when Manna was flooded in April, but the program at Westminster still went on. The residents even made a food donation to Manna shortly after the flood. "For someone who struggles to have enough food to eat and someone who has to pick between buying medications or buying food, a can of food can be a pretty precious commodity," Flounlacker says. "So for them to share that precious commodity with us so that we could help others is just incredible, and I think shows the spirit of the people there." Westminster Village is specifically for seniors age 62 and older with low incomes, according to Wilde. Rent is around $700 a month, but rent is based on a sliding scale based on income, and some residents could pay as little as $50 a month because HUD pays the balance, Wilde says. Manna now is looking at building on their partnership with Westminster Village. Flounlacker says they would like to add cooking classes and safety training for residents next year with help of some community partners.

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Manna partners with Westminster Village to feed seniors

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