senior services
Mary A. Brooks, Director
Funded by the East Central Planning and Development District and the United Way of Lauderdale County, Meals on Wheels provides daily nutritionally well-balanced meals to the elderly and/or disabled homebound individuals in order to assist them in leading independent, meaningful, and dignified lives in their own homes and community. The Meals on Wheels program relies heavily on its volunteers to deliver daily hot meals to elderly and handicapped homebound individuals. To qualify, applicants must :
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Be 60 years of age or older and/or disabled
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Be homebound
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Have great economic or social needs
Foster Grandparents Program
Bob Glazar, Director
The Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) provides older individuals with the opportunity to give individual attention to children with special needs. This special care helps young people grow, gain confidence, and develop needed skills. In improving the lives of the children they serve; Foster Grandparent volunteers enrich their own lives, strengthen communities, and bridge proverbial “generational-gaps” by providing services that are fiscally unfeasible relative to organizational budgets. The Corporation for National and Community Service through the National Senior Corps provides funding via match funding arrangements. MCCSA is the administrator of the program. The Lauderdale County Foster Grandparent Program is a United Way of East Mississippi provides match funding for the Foster Grandparents program. Private sector donations and community fund-raising help augment the program. Prerequisites for assistance from this program are:
- Must be 60 years of age or older
- No longer be in the regular work-force
- Meet income eligibility levels set by the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Be physically and mentally able to perform required tasks
- Be willing to serve an average of 20 hours per week
- Be willing to accept and follow necessary supervision
- Care about children and desire to help them reach their fullest potential
Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program
Freddie McCoy, Director
The purpose of the Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program (LIWXP) is to increase the energy efficiency of homes for low-income people- primarily the elderly, disabled, and families with children. To this end, the program reduces heating and cooling costs while improving the health and safety of its clients. As with LIHEAP, applicants must meet OMB guidelines to be eligible for assistance from this program. For Weatherization to work, a Weatherization technician conducts an energy audit on the single-family, multi-family, or mobile home dwelling. Diagnostic equipment is used to identify air infiltration imbalances and areas of heat loss. Technicians also evaluate related health and safety conditions, such as carbon monoxide hazards, gas leaks, or moisture problems. The Weatherization crew installs the most cost effective energy efficient measures, based on the results of the energy audit.