Dave is one of the seniors who attends our Senior Community Meals program. Dave started coming to lunch with us several years ago, when we served out of the Lake City Community Center.
Dave has cerebral palsy, which prevents him from speaking or walking. His disability doesn’t stop him from making close friends, though. Dave is well-known in his living community and in the broader neighborhood.
This year has been a difficult one for Dave, as it has been for many of our program participants. In July, his mother (and primary caretaker) was diagnosed with cancer and put in hospice care. His family now has to pay for her hospital bills and a new caretaker.
Then, in October, the Lake City Fred Meyer closed down. That Fred Meyer meant a lot to Dave–it was the only grocery store within electric wheelchairing distance, and all of the staff knew him and his typical grocery list. To get groceries now, he has to travel or order delivery, which presents physical and financial barriers he can rarely surmount on his own. HIP is now the only consistent way he can receive meals.
His mother told us, “We are deeply grateful for the help HIP provides, since I can’t take care of him the way I used to.”
