For Leslie Perls and many other volunteers, Mobile Meals is about coming together for the good of the community.
Perls is helping coordinate Fall Fare 2016, which will be held from 4:30-7 p.m. Sunday, and is the signature fundraiser for the nonprofit that has served medically tailored meals to homebound and disabled adults five days a week since its inception in 1970.
The organization provides two meals daily — one hot and one cold — for clients in Tucson, Sahuarita and Green Valley. More than 350 volunteers facilitate the effort to deliver 100,000 meals annually in order to allow clients to maintain their independence, an endeavor that Perls said strengthens the community.
“We must take care of our population. We all need to give time, effort and money,” said Perls, a member of the Mobile Meals Board of Directors who is also principal and creative director of LP&G Marketing. “And when we take time to give, not only are we helping the greater good, we are broadening our own knowledge and our hearts. Love is additive and ever expanding; volunteerism provides a base of support for those in need and breeds hope.”
LP&G Marketing is a gold sponsor of the benefit along with Cenpatico and Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment.
The connections built through Mobile Meals are rewarding for volunteers and clients, who often develop long-term friendships, according to Perls.
“Volunteers get to know these people on a very personal level, listening to their life stories, getting to know their pets and family members. In general, they add a layer of loving kindness to people in need,” she said.
On a practical note, volunteers also serve as a daily well-check to ensure homebound adults are alert, healthy and safe, according to Tamara McKinney, Mobile Meals of Tucson executive director.
McKinney emphasized that finances are a growing concern for many elderly Mobile Meals clients: 42 percent are classified as extremely low income with annual incomes of less than $11,000.
She said the Fall Fare — which raised $44,000 last year — provides funds needed to continue services to those who are able to contribute little or nothing toward meals prepared at 10 area health-care facilities and individually tailored to chronic health conditions .
Artist David Tineo is a Mobile Meals client who is happy to support the effort. Tineo, an internationally-acclaimed painter and muralist, suffers from macular degeneration and chronic conditions that require a special diet.
“I have been blessed with a good career and have been fortunate to be recognized for my work. I have supported many organizations and always been in a state of giving back and that comes back to me in blessings,” said Tineo, who donated an original painting, “Agave Angel,” for the silent auction. Tineo, 61, said he is grateful for the independence that Mobile Meals continues to afford him.
Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net
