AMARGOSA VALLEY -- The Amargosa Senior Center has been awarded a $7,000 grant from Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and the Walmart Foundation to support its local program in doing what it does best -- feeding seniors at a time when the program is struggling.

This past year, many Meals On Wheels programs were forced to change or reduce their services because of severe operating constraints brought on by rising food and gas prices and the current economic crisis.

The MOWAA/WalMart Foundation Cure Grant is intended to alleviate these burdens for the Amargosa Senior Center and help the center restore its nutrition services to better serve the seniors in Amargosa Valley.

"With the MOWAA/WalMart Foundation Cure Grant, we will be able reinstate our home-bound delivery to five days per week to the clients in need and make a tremendous impact in our community," said Program Director Paula King of the Nye County Senior Nutrition Program.

According to a groundbreaking national research study entitled "The Causes, Consequences and Future of Senior Hunger in America," which was commissioned by the MOWAA Foundation, one in nine seniors in America is at risk of hunger.

The fact that 11.4 percent of seniors in the country are at risk of hunger and the fact that the population is aging at an unprecedented rate put a significant strain on community-based Meals On Wheels programs' ability to provide meals for those in need.

The Cure Grant Program is intended to increase the number of individuals served and reverse the forced reduction in meal services seen at Meals On Wheels programs throughout the nation.

"Unlike cancer or AIDS, we have the cure to end senior hunger in America today," said Enid Borden, president and CEO of MOWAA. "We can't thank the Walmart Foundation enough for supporting us in our mission and remembering the seniors we serve during this desperate time."