Meals On Wheels Requests On The Rise

Eighty-nine years old and largely housebound, Eva Smith treasures any visitors she gets - but in particular, the volunteers who bring her food a few times a week.

The Annapolis resident has come to depend on Meals on Wheels, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious meals for people who are unable to provide food for themselves. She is one of 222 clients in the area, a figure that is increasing in the county and region as the economy leaves more in a financial pinch.

Many of the clients are senior citizens: The county has about 62,000 county residents 65 years and older, and about 26,000 residents live below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census.

"It means a whole lot to me," said Smith, who suffered a stroke last year. "I don't know what I would do (without them). I'd probably be eating sandwiches, or eating nothing."

Since October, the Anne Arundel County branch has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of people needing meals. Ordinarily, it gets greater numbers during the holidays but they drop off after the new year, said Terry Lehr, the county's program supervisor.

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