Burnaby comes together to help those in need.
The Residents of Burnaby came together to help Comfort Keepers collect over 200 cans of food and just over $200 in cash donations through its STOP Senior Hunger food drive for local seniors.
“We asked the community to make food donations to help local seniors and raise awareness of the growing epidemic of senior hunger and malnutrition, and they came through with open arms,” said Heather Martin, Operations Manager Vancouver. “It is obvious the people of Burnaby care about helping our elders, and with this kind of support, we will be able to help our senior neighbours live healthy, independent lives by getting the food and nutrition they need.”
Comfort Keepers partnered with Save-On Foods at the Highgate and Metrotown locations to collect non-perishable food items for The Salvation Army.
There are many factors involved in malnutrition, and hunger is just one of them. Comfort Keepers believes this campaign helped people to understand the depth and seriousness of the malnutrition problem among seniors and how it impacts families beyond just food security and availability.
Hunger can lead to malnutrition and other serious health problems in seniors. Malnutrition is the result of the body not absorbing enough nutrients – which can be caused by hunger or other factors, including lack of interest in eating, loneliness, dental problems or the side effects of medication. For seniors, malnutrition means the potential for increased hospital stays, increased health complications, early entry into assisted living or prolonged illness.
In response to a growing need for awareness about senior hunger, the Comfort Keepers system has launched a nationwide campaign called STOP Senior Hunger to create awareness for the importance of a healthy diet for those 65 and over. This senior nutrition campaign aims to help seniors preserve their independence by providing diet and nutrition information, encouragement and necessities.
“We want to thank Comfort Keepers so much for their help in wanting to strengthen our community,” shares Captain Lisa Trickett of The Salvation Army Metrotown Citadel.
