The march for meals for senior citizens is going into high gear.

Senior Citizens Inc., which has been delivering meals to seniors in Coastal Georgia since 1959, is trying to bring more attention to the plights of seniors, especially the continued need for support and the problem of hunger among older residents.

“It’s getting bigger every day,” Patti Lyons, president of Senior Citizens Inc., said of the problems facing seniors. “Every day in America, there are more than 20,000 people turning 65 every day. We have a lot of rural area and those are the folks I worry about.

It’s very hard for them to get to the grocery store and they’re so afraid to tell someone they need help.”

Senior Citizens Inc. has been delivering Meals on Wheels for more than 65 years — even before the national program started — and recently delivered its 7 millionth meal.

“For us,” Lyons said, “it’s always been about more than the meal.”

The connection made between the SCI, either through a staff member or a volunteer, and the senior citizen receiving the meal is important too, Lyons pointed out.

“It comes with someone taking the time to ask how they’re doing, to make sure they are OK. Not a week goes by that we get a call from a volunteer that we need to follow up with someone.”

The surgeon general has cited loneliness as a public health crisis, and it can be especially difficult for seniors.

“It’s continuing to grow,” Lyons said. “What we know about older adults is we are 24% of the population and we’re growing every day. In Georgia, it’s growing faster.”

Senior Citizens Inc. started delivering meals by making a week’s worth of lunches and delivering them to 13 older residents. Today, it brings 1,800 meals each day to senior citizens throughout the Coastal Empire.

“It’s a blessing to me,” said Louise Bruce, who has been a part of the program since 2022. “It’s wonderful.”

There are approximately 400 people on the waiting list for Meals on Wheels, and for the cost of a oneday hospital stay, Senior Citizens Inc. can provide meals to a senior for an entire year, Lyons noted.

As for the meals themselves, recipients can choose what they want.

“Our food is great,” Lyons said. “We get their input every quarter — what do you like, what didn’t you like, because if they don’t eat it, it doesn’t do any good.”

Meals on Wheels can provide its clientele with pet food and flea medicine, if they have pets, and in times of emergency, such as pending storms, they can deliver shelf-stable food, with the help of Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia.

“With a storm, our clients get a box of food they can take with them or if they hunker down, they have food,” Lyons said.

As important as the food is, the visit from somebody delivering the meals can be just as a big of an impact.

“That’s what our nonprofit does. Our whole purpose is to help people age successful at home,” Lyons said. “They’re afraid somebody is going to make them move out of their homes. We have care navigators to help link them with any benefit possible and help them live well at home. Maybe they need home repair, maybe they need transportation, whatever we can do to help them be successful at home.”

Senior Citizens Inc. is highlighting the “March for Meals” to help sustain its efforts and to help more seniors. Its funding comes from a variety of sources, including federal, state and local governments, grants, and private donations. The strain on its resources, though, from rising costs and an increased demand as the older population continues to grow puts an emphasis on initiatives such as the “March for Meals.”

“The worst part of our job is knowing somebody needs us and we can’t do it,” Lyons said.

For more on Senior Citizens Inc. and its services, visit www.SeniorCitizensInc. org or call (912) 236-- 0363.