Aid For Friends was founded in 1974.

Target Population - needy, isolated homebound, primarily frail elderly.

Regions served: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties (the five county Greater Philadelphia Region).

All of our meals (frozen home-cooked donated dinners, soups, Breakfast Bags and other supplemental foods) delivered weekly to each client/friend by empathetic volunteer visitors, are FREE to the client/friends.

In 38 years we have delivered more than 13 million free meals to over 11,900 shut-ins. Our visitors have volunteered more than 1.5 million hours of compassionate visiting with their shut-in client/friends.

This past fiscal year alone we delivered over 460,740 free meals (Dinners, Soups and Breakfast Bags) to an aggregate total of 2,194 lonely shut-ins.

- 67% female; 33% male

- 65% reside within the city of Philadelphia - the remainder in the suburban counties.

- The large majority are in their 70's and 80's and most live at or below the poverty level (1/3 of our client/friends are over 80).

- Leading causes of disability are crippling arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

More than just meals - we also provide FREE to our client/friends: weekly friendly visits, advocacy, emergency financial aid from our Dorothy Fund, orange juice to 828 of our neediest shut-ins, nutritional supplements, reduced sodium dinners, Shut-in/Elder Safety Project (including distribution of safety booklets and products such as tub grab bars, smoke alarms, rubber bath mats, reach grabbers), Caregiver Support Program, Youth Sensitivity 'leaching Sessions, free furniture distribution, Farmer's Market Voucher Program and Latino outreach. Birthday Card Project, and an outstanding Holiday Gift Project.

Volunteer Network over 16,600 adult volunteers - cooks, drivers, visitors, coordinators, office and maintenance personnel. Also, youngsters from more than 500 school and youth groups. They volunteer on an on-going basis throughout the year.

Giving Sharing Network There are now 271 Catholic and Protestant churches, 8 Synagogues and many religious, social, fraternal and civic groups that actively participate in our network of volunteers consistently. In addition, there are many other groups who schedule AFF volunteer projects once or twice throughout the year.

For every $1 spent, AFF more than $6.00 generated in free meals and services to our shut-in client/friends.

Collaboration With Other Social Service Agencies

Aid For Friends collaborates with a number of other agencies to help the home-bound elderly. These organizations include The Salvation Army, Catholic Social Services, Episcopal Community Services and the Area Agencies on Aging in all five counties comprising Greater Philadelphia.

We draw our volunteer base from churches, synagogues, community associations, schools and youth organizations. If your group is interested in helping with our mission, please call Aid For Friends Headquarters at 215.464.2224; ask for Vince Sample

Aid For Friends Is Cost-Effective!

For every $1 spent, AFF more than $6.00 generated in free meals and services to our shut-in client/friends.

Intergenerational Projects

While our primary focus is on the frail elderly, Aid For Friends has many young people involved with our organization. Here are a few examples:

1. Some youngsters make dinners or pack breakfast bags through their schools and youth groups.
2. Others volunteer at Aid For Friends Headquarters in the Far Northeast, doing stock work (stacking shelves, moving boxes of frozen dinners) in the warehouse area
3. Still others participate in our annual "Pennies For Friends" fundraiser, a major campaign to put gallon penny jars in schools, churches, synagogues, stores, offices and other public places.

For more information on intergenerational activities, please call Vince, our youth coordinator, at 215.464.2224