AMARILLO, TEXAS -- A local organization is providing groceries for elderly people who are not able to get out and about.
The Senior Ambassadors Coalition takes groceries to the homes of seniors who cannot get out and shop for themselves. The coalition also provides transportation to stores for those who can make the trip.
Don Thompson donates his time to hosting fundraisers for the SAC, and he said these people are not helpless; they just need some assistance.
"They either lost their independence, they cannot drive or they're too frail to get out anymore or they just don't have transportation," he said. "They can take care of themselves; they just can't get to the store."
The SAC provides groceries for more than 70 elderly people. Some of the program volunteers work in healthcare and recognize the special needs of these people.
"It's an under-served population, strong-willed and proud of having got to this point in their lives," Thompson pointed out. "And they're usually the last people to ask for help."
Thompson said about 20 percent of our population is over the age of 60, and a lot of these people don't have the family structure and support they need in order to get by.
"The recession that we're in right now hits everybody, including our elderly population. While our younger population might have the ability to get out and work or get out and do some job, our elderly population, specifically the frail, just do not have the means to get out there and work any harder."
The SAC is hosting the Golf For Groceries golf tournament on Sep. 30 to raise funds for more groceries. The tournament is open to the public and there is room for 15 more teams to sign up. The deadline for registration is Sep. 15. For more information, email the coalition at sac.panhandle@gmail.com or call 806-331-2227.
