Eleven-year-old leads blanket drive to warm every Rockwall County Meals on Wheels client

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MOWSS Board Member Holly Lyons, Benefits Counselor/Administrative Assistant Janice Enloe, Case Manager Maureen Cook, and Nick Gee pose among the blankets the 11-year-old helped to collect for area seniors . Photo by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News.

(ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX – Jan. 21, 2016)  Local homebound seniors now have some extra help staying warm during the winter months, as Meals On Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County received a large donation of blankets this morning from residents Debi Gee Williamson and her son Nick for its Spread the Warmth Blanket Drive.

Debi and Nick, who help out in the MOWSS kitchen, collected a total of 165 blankets for MOWSS to deliver with meals to homebound seniors.

Nick gives his mom a thumbs as after loading the car with blankets on the way to Meals on Wheels. Photo submitted by Debi Gee Williams.

Eleven-year-old Nick is home schooled. The idea to start a blanket drive began one day when he and his mom were out on a meal delivery and Nick noticed that many of the seniors had their doors and windows open. Debi explained to Nick that sometimes the seniors do that because they don’t have air conditioning, and depending on the weather, they can’t afford to pay for electricity to stay cool or warm.

Knowing how cold our winters can be, Nick decided to start collecting blankets to help keep the seniors warm during the winter. He set out to amass 165 total blankets – enough for each home-bound senior who receives meals from MOWSS.

“I told Nick if he could collect 80 blankets on his own, I would post on Facebook about the drive to help collect the rest,” Debi said.

And that he did, even using his very own birthday money to purchase blankets for the cause. Members of the Lake Pointe AWANA club, which Nick is involved in, also pitched in blankets, and for his 11th birthday party on Jan. 16, Nick asked for people to bring blankets instead gifts. Debi and Nick also connected with Angel Nelson at Rockwall Jacket Barber and held a blanket drive there. Nancy Parkes with Rockwall Women’s League contributed 30 blankets on its behalf after seeing the post on Facebook.

“Awesome! N you have such a great heart! Meals on Wheels also appreciates all your help in the kitchen every week!!” wrote MOWSS Executive Director Margie VerHagen on Facebook.

About Meals On Wheels

Since 1978, MOWSS – located at 950 Williams St., Bld C Ste 200 –  has brought assistance for those older adults facing health and mobility issues that cause the need for assistance to foster independence regardless of duration of need. The program provides hot, nutritious, noontime meals – over 45,000 a year – and personal contact to homebound elderly in Rockwall County each weekday. Meals are monitored by a licensed dietician following the State Health Services regulations and meeting one-third of the recommended dietary allowance.

For more information about Meals On Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County, visit rockwallmealsonwheels.org.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News staff writer. 

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