Eastside Friends of Seniors provides free, volunteer-based services to seniors facing the challenges of aging, so that they may live in health, safety, and dignity. Our program was established in 1997 with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization in 2008. In 2012, Eastside Friends of Seniors provided assistance to 439 frail and disabled elderly people and their families. Of those, 284 received services as clients. Of the 284 clients we served, 25% use a cane, 23% use a walker, and 5% use a wheelchair or motorized scooter. 21% of our clients are deaf or severely hearing impaired; 18% are blind or severely visually impaired; and 7% are both. 92% percent of the clients are classified as low income in accordance with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s standards; 67% are classified as very low income. In 2012, a total of 264 people volunteered for Eastside Friends of Seniors. 128 people were involved in one-time projects in service to clients, typically in a group, from their congregation, workplace, or service club. And then our trained corps of 132 program volunteers performed regular service for our clients, day in and day out, throughout the year. With your volunteer help and financial support, we can continue to provide our friendly, cost-effective program to seniors in our community.
