PLANO, Texas, Feb. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, every day more than 10,000
adults turn 65, and one in six struggles with hunger. In the
Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area,
which has the 10th largest senior population in the U.S., 9% of
seniors live below the poverty line and nearly 25,000 households
headed by seniors have limited mobility. It's an issue that Toyota,
Collin County Meals on Wheels and VNA Texas – Meals on Wheels, are
tackling head on.
Toyota is working with both organizations to serve more seniors
- the hidden hungry, homebound, aging and unable to access
resources like food pantries and grocery stores. Part of the
effort includes sharing principles of the Toyota Production System
to find improvements in their daily work, including meal
production, delivery and volunteer recruitment.
Toyota also deployed a team to advise on the development of
technology solutions to promote efficient meal delivery, improve
volunteer engagement, and maximize data collection, including
health data. The team is working with VNA Texas - Meals on Wheels
to build a web and app-based platform, funded through the Lyda Hill
Foundation and Toyota. The technology is expected to launch later
this year and offer scalability for other Meals on Wheels
organizations nationwide.
"Through technology we can help improve the quality of life for
seniors, bringing critical services and opportunities to their
doors," said Ryan Klem, Toyota
Social Innovation.
Throughout North Texas and
across the nation, the number of individuals who rely on Meals on
Wheels for their daily nutritional needs is growing. In
Dallas County alone, there are
more than 6,000 seniors waiting to receive meal service.
"Our aim is to create a solution that can be shared with other
Meals on Wheels organizations throughout the country, helping to
address the growing need for their services while informing care,"
Klem added.
Information gathered during wellness checks will be entered in
an app, assisting with timely client follow up and helping to
connect clients to vital services. Center for Applied Health
Research, part of the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute,
is helping to inform and evaluate the program, analyzing the data
to help improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable seniors.
"As a health care organization with an 84-year history, VNA is
committed to incorporating technology to provide comprehensive care
to our growing senior population. Toyota is an ideal partner to
leverage their vast expertise with innovative solutions to increase
mobility for our homebound neighbors," said Katherine Krause, president and CEO, VNA Texas.
"The work we are doing with Toyota will enhance and expand our
partnerships with health care entities to address the social
determinants of health in North
Texas."
Toyota also stepped in to join the volunteer ranks. Starting
next month, Toyota will deliver meals once a week with Meals on
Wheels Collin County to individuals in Plano, part of a year-long volunteer
engagement effort.
"This joint effort is a game changer for us," said Zella Tyson, CEO, Meals on Wheels Collin County.
"It allows us to meet needs faster, allocate resources more
effectively, and ultimately better serve our current and future
clients."
About VNA – Meals on Wheels
Established in 1934, VNA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
that helps older adults age with dignity and independence at home.
VNA is the community's most trusted provider of quality healthcare
services in the home and was the first and is the most experienced
Hospice Care provider in Texas.
VNA offers Meals on Wheels in Dallas
County, and VNA Hospice and VNA Care Choices in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant and Van Zandt Counties. Visit
www.vnatexas.org or call 1 (800) CALL-VNA for more information.
About Meals on Wheels Collin County
Meals on Wheels Collin County (MOWCC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. Established in 1976, MOWCC assists disabled and older
adults by combating hunger and isolation, allowing them to remain
healthy and independent in their families, homes, and communities.
MOWCC offers hot, nutritious meals five days a week along with
wellness visits to the senior citizens of Collin County. For more
information, visit our website at www.mowcc.com or call our office
at 972-562-6996.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the
U.S. and North America for 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that
time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have
contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of
more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than
46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.6
million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and
about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years
are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to
assist more people move more places. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Toyota Motor North America: Amanda
Roark | amanda.roark@toyota.com | 469.292.2636
VNA Meals on Wheels: Chris Culak |
culakc@vnatexas.org| 214.608.2160
Collin County Meals on Wheels: Jeanne
McDonald | mcdonaldj@mowcc.com | 972.632.3114
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America