East Cooper Meals on Wheels has been awarded $17,975 through a Walmart Foundation grant to the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA). The money has enabled East Cooper Meals on Wheels to replace aging appliances and will ensure sustainability for the organization while fostering long-term growth.

The Walmart Foundation recently announced a $5 million donation to MOWAA as part of a $2 billion commitment to support hunger relief efforts through 2015. Part of that $5 million donation will fund the "Building the Future" Impact Grants. The grants will help more than 100 Meals On Wheels programs purchase stoves, refrigerators, trucks and other equipment needed in the fight to end senior hunger.

The Walmart Foundation first became a partner of Meals On Wheels in 2008. A donation of $750,000 to MOWAA helped 80 struggling Member programs restore meal services that had been reduced or were facing cuts. In late 2009, the Foundation donated an additional $2.2 million to MOWAA that helped 147 member programs expand their meal services with new equipment.

"The Walmart Foundation continues to step up to the plate in the fight against senior hunger," said Enid Borden, president and CEO of MOWAA. "They understand that joining Meals On Wheels in this battle is a moral imperative. The Walmart Foundation's generous support helps ensure our programs sustain meal services well into the future. We can't thank the Walmart Foundation enough for being such a powerful partner in our mission to end senior hunger in America by the year 2020."

East Cooper Meals on Wheels delivers daily nutrition to residents within our service area who are homebound or unable to provide their own meals. The group also advocate on behalf of recipients whose needs exceed the scope of our programs. The mission extends beyond the poor elderly to include anyone of any age who is homebound for any length of time and/or unable to independently provide a meal. Most of the recipients are over 60 years of age and 90 percent of recipients live at or below the poverty line. The food East Cooper Mealson Wheels delivers is freshly prepared every day. As prescribed by geriatric dietitians, each meal provides at least 33 percent of the recommended daily nutrition for seniors. The Second Daily Meal Program provides additional nutrition for the most needy of recipients who depend on the program for all of their daily nutritional needs.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs and partnerships, the Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on creating opportunities in education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2008 through Jan. 31, 2009, Walmart - and its domestic and international foundations - gave more than $423 million in cash and gifts.