Anonymous Donor Gives $100,000 to Save Senior Food Program After Woman’s Plea for Help
Anonymous Donor Gives $100,000 to Save Senior Food Program After Woman’s Plea for Help
An anonymous donor has stepped forward with a $100,000 gift to save a Pennsylvania program that provides food and support to seniors after one woman’s emotional plea brought attention to its impending closure.
Diana Holcomb / WTAE
Wesley Family Services had announced that its “Open Your Heart to a Senior” program in Westmoreland County would be shutting down because of a lack of federal funding. The program serves vulnerable seniors who rely on it for basic necessities, including food.
For Diana Holcomb, the news was devastating.
“I don’t have anybody,” Holcomb said. “I thought, ‘What’s going to happen? Where am I going to get food? How am I going to eat?'”
Refusing to stay silent, Holcomb reached out to a local television station to share her story in hopes that someone would listen.
“I thought the word has to get out there. Somebody has to know,” she said.
Her story struck a chord.
Just days after it aired, an anonymous donor contacted Wesley Family Services and donated $100,000 to keep the Westmoreland County program operating for another year.
“Much to our surprise—and I find this very humbling and overwhelming—we had a donor come forward for the program in Westmoreland County and donate $100,000,” said Wesley Family Services CEO Doug Muetzel.
When Holcomb learned the news, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
“Wow, somebody out there cares,” she said. “It brought me to tears. I just thanked the Lord for working this out.”
Muetzel also praised the community response, saying stories like Holcomb’s remind people of the needs that exist around them and inspire others to help.
