The Riedel Foundation will match cash contributions up to $35,000 in an upcoming fundraising campaign for the Hannibal Nutrition Center. The money will go toward purchasing food for Hannibal senior citizens who get home-delivered lunches through the Meals on Wheels program.
The Hannibal Nutrition Center is launching a major fundraising campaign with a goal of $110,000 to help fund the program. With the Riedel grant, the fundraiser could potentially bring in $145,000 or more.
The increased cost of food has forced a funding shortage at the Hannibal Nutrition Center. In the last year alone, the cost of food went up nearly $170,000.
“I know we have all felt the increase at the supermarket for one person, not to mention for a family of 600 that we serve every day,” said HNC Director Margee Tucker. “With inflation rates, more seniors are making tough decisions and many are suffering from food insecurity, so they are coming to us for help. We are trying to fill the gap but we are battling inflation in every part of our program as well. No client is ever turned away based on their ability to donate, so it is a constant struggle.”
From 2019 through 2022, the Riedel Foundation awarded $134,000 to the Nutrition Center; however, the giving tradition stretches back to the founding of the Riedel Foundation in 2000.
“While the primary focus of the Nutrition Center is to provide meals to senior citizens, we recognize that the program offers much more than that,” said Riedel Foundation Lead Trustee Michael Bukstein. “It provides opportunities for socialization, to connect with the community, to get information on issues important to the senior population. In particular, with the Meals on Wheels program, it serves as a daily well-being check for homebound seniors. There’s so much value in that, so that’s why we continue to support the program.”