2 minute read
Stocking Up for Seniors
Elizabeth Nelson
For more than 30 years, the Junior League of Washington (JLW) has partnered with Iona Senior Services — a premier aging organization that has been a staple of the Washington, DC area since 1975. Year-round,
League members volunteer their time to ensure thousands of aging neighbors have access to food, but the work goes beyond the meal delivery. For many impacted by
Iona’s work, the time spent with League members is a positive part of their day.
Iona deliveries allow Washington, DC, community members of all ages to interact and form new perspectives.
“We’re really trying to give the seniors the most impactful care we can by working on external efforts,” says Maria Moussa,
Iona Senior Services Committee Chair.
This past year, JLW hosted Iona’s senior leadership for a roundtable discussion to deepen the understanding of Iona’s mission and gain further insight into how
Iona directly helps seniors. Community members who have benefited from Iona’s services joined the meeting to provide firsthand accounts of how they’ve been impacted by the services.
“The Heart of Iona [roundtable] tour really drove the importance of Iona’s mission and we want to ensure we do all that we can,” explained Moussa.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit,
Iona and the seniors it served were especially impacted by the restrictions put into place by the DC government.
Efforts to help mitigate the spread of the virus made volunteering difficult, especially when much of JLW’s work with
Iona was in person.
However, League members have always risen to meet a challenge, so, in an effort to both continue serving Iona and keep with city guidelines, JLW started a pantry stocking initiative. This allowed Iona’s work to continue while keeping everyone involved healthy and safe. Instead of delivering meals, JLW pivoted to purchasing items for the Iona pantry. All shopping was ordered via Amazon and delivered to Iona’s Tenleytown location in NW, DC.
While certainly more limited than previous years in JLW’s long partnership with Iona, there have been some opportunities for League members to volunteer in person and new initiatives, such as pantry stocking, have allowed JLW to still continue making an impact.
Over the holidays, League members were also able to assist with food delivery on Thanksgiving and Christmas. With many families still not gathering in person to keep loved ones safe, it meant so much for Iona’s seniors to receive warm meals accompanied by the smiling faces and cheer of League members. JLW also donated gift cards to retailers, such as Giant and CVS, allowing Iona and the seniors it serves to purchase their most needed items and resources.
With the new year kicked off and already flying by, JLW is looking toward new ways to show appreciation for Iona’s seniors — including holiday themed cards to spread some love for those who have given so much vibrancy and life to our community. •
Maria Moussa and her husband, Chris Saleh, deliver meals for Iona seniors
