Store To Door of Oregon
Groceries & More. A Friend at the Door
In 2015, Nelson was 60lbs heavier and had difficulty walking, making grocery shopping tough. A veteran, Nelson also suffers from macular degeneration. He came across a Store to Door flyer on a bulletin board and called to enroll. He deeply values the nourishment that Store to Door delivers each week, and the long-term connection he has formed with the volunteers who make his deliveries possible.
With Portland’s population aging rapidly, you likely have somebody in your life who is facing challenges accessing the care necessary to maintain well-being, as Nelson does: “I’ve been blessed—even though I am considered poverty level, I manage my money well. Until my eyes got so bad, I usually cooked from scratch.”
Cooking and lifelong passions can become harder to pursue as we age. Like us, you might see your aging parents, friends, and neighbors experiencing difficulty receiving the care and connection they need. Trouble accessing nutritious and affordable food often parallels other difficulties maintaining safe and healthy independent living, like accessing vital medical and community services and staying socially connected as our community ages.
“Store to Door has enabled me to keep cooking and a more varied diet than I would have otherwise,” Nelson says. “[My order taker] knows me well enough that I can ask a question and she knows where I am going, because she has been taking my order for the last 7 years.” A more varied diet, and fewer processed foods, have made a major difference in his health.
You might be wondering how you can help. Store to Door’s mission for the last 33 years has supported independent living for Portland area seniors and people with disabilities, by focusing on providing food access. We now aim to address the other challenges our clients face too, including lack of food security and limited social connection.
We have a new strategic plan—to expand our mission to support independent living for homebound seniors and adults living with disabilities in the Portland Metro area by providing food access, food security, social connection, and community support.
Now we ask you to invest in expanding the essential services Store to Door provides as we deepen our programs to serve our homebound clients like Nelson better than ever. Our ability to meet the needs of our clients costs more.
Sincerely,
Mark Fulop, MA, MPH
Store to Door Executive Director
Will you make a gift today to sustain independent living for homebound members of our community into 2023 and beyond?
