North Area Meals on Wheels invites community to ‘Share the Love’ with local seniors

NORTH SYRACUSE — Over the past 15 years, Subaru has given more than $250 million to local charities through its “Share the Love” campaign. Through Jan. 3, 2023, Subaru will donate $250 for each car sold or leased to a charity of the customer’s choice: Meals on Wheels, ASPCA, Make-a-Wish or the National Park Foundation. The donations are passed on to the local arms of each charity.

One of those local charity branches is North Area Meals on Wheels, located in North Syracuse. Each weekday, NAMOW delivers more than 400 meals to clients in Cicero, North Syracuse, Liverpool, Mattydale, Brewerton, Clay, Bridgeport and Baldwinsville. The 2020 Share the Love campaign “enabled NAMOW to deliver an additional 1,391 meals to our local seniors,” NAMOW Executive Director Jennifer Covert said.

To mark the occasion of Subaru’s Share the Love initiative, NAMOW is collecting holiday gifts for its clients now through Dec. 14.

North Area Meals on Wheels is collecting holiday gifts for its roughly 300 clients as part of Subaru’s “Share the Love” fundraising campaign.

“Many of our senior clients are homebound and do not have any family or friends. We make sure that each and every one of our folks receive at least one gift during the holiday season, and for some it will be the only gift they receive,” Covert said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, social isolation and loneliness have dire health consequences for seniors. Lonely seniors have a 50% greater risk of developing dementia, 29% increased risk of heart disease and 32% greater risk of stroke. Isolation can also lead to depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.

Clients receive more than food from NAMOW. They also receive companionship, even if it’s just a brief daily interaction with a delivery driver. Also, volunteers can check on residents’ well-being and keep an eye out for safety hazards and needed repairs to a client’s home.

“It is so important that we not only take care of our clients’ nutritional needs, but their mental health needs as well. This is a great time of year to show a little extra kindness, which is good for everybody’s heart. We are lucky to have such a giving community who contributes to this event every year,” Covert said.

In the past, volunteers have made quilts and blankets to give to clients, while Girl Scout troops and other groups put together holiday craft kits. People can donate toiletries, candles and other small gifts as well.

Here are a few more gift ideas for NAMOW clients:

• Blankets
• Scarves
• Gloves
• Slipper socks with grips
• Large-print books
• Crossword or word search books
• Nightlights
• Pill boxes
• Eyeglass holders
• Tins of cookies or candy (sugar-free preferred)

You may wrap your gift; if the item is gender-specific, please label it with “male” or “female.” NAMOW is located at 413 Church St. in North Syracuse and is open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The drop-off period ends Wednesday, Dec. 14.

To learn more about Subaru’s Share the Love campaign, visit subaru.com/share-the-love.html. Visit namow.org to learn more about North Area Meals on Wheels.