POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Fourth of July festivities may be over. However, one Lakeland nonprofit is still celebrating because of the thousands of donations it received that will help older people in the community.
On Wednesday morning, one car after another drove up to get bags full of groceries from the warehouse belonging to Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE).
“I think this is absolutely wonderful. When someone donates, they can see where it’s going to,” said Elizabeth Medellin.
Elizabeth Medellin,75, is one of 1,100 seniors who pick up groceries monthly. The supplemental groceries are a tremendous help because she’s on a fixed income.
“I applied for food stamps, and they told me I made too much money, $1,300 a month is all I got; that’s my income. VISTE has helped me out so much, and it gets me through for the month,” Medellin said.
The groceries Medellin receives come from the thousands of canned goods donated by residents who attended Lakeland's Red, White & Kaboom Independence Day celebration.
“We’ve weighed about 830 lbs. of food product received that night,” said Steve Bissonnette, President of VISTE.
Bissonnette said in addition to groceries; the nonprofit provides essential services for low-income seniors, including transportation, hot meals, and care boxes. He said VISTE is seeing more and more older adults needing help.
“The last year and a half or so, those numbers just continue to rise. If you’ve been to the grocery store anytime recently, food costs continue to go up, and it just gets harder for people on a fixed income to make that money stretch further, Bissonnette said.
Thanks to the community's generosity and more than 1,000 volunteers, VISTE can help elderly residents age at home with hope and dignity.
“They’re able to be able to stay at home independently, rather than trying to go somewhere else, like maybe assisted living,” said Ruffin Gray, VISTE Volunteer.
