BCF Gives 1,100+ Senior Care Kits

woman opening box
Nancy opens her Senior Care Kit.

Nancy had never received a Senior Care Kit before this year. 

When volunteers delivered her gift-wrapped package ahead of Christmas, she was surprised and grateful for the heavy box full of essential items, including a bottle of lotion which she desperately needed but her friend had forgotten at the store.

"This is a beautiful gift," she said. "(These kits) make such a difference and that's so important!"

Nancy, who is a retired educator and special education teacher, knows many seniors are in need of the items found in Berrien Community Foundation's Senior Care Kits: shampoo, socks, toothpaste, gloves and First Aid kits, just to name a few. 

In 2025, 1,150 Senior Care Kits were delivered to seniors across Berrien County thanks to Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan and Area Agency on Aging. 

photo of a man sitting in his recliner
Will shows the items in his kit.

Now in its ninth year, Berrien Community Foundation continues supporting seniors through this project because1 in 10 Berrien County seniors are living below the poverty level. When out-of-pocket medical costs are factored in, that number becomes 1 in 7. Seniors are regularly faced with the decision to choose between medicine, food or basic care items. By giving Senior Care Kits, BCF hopes to remove one of those factors to improve the quality of life. 

Will has experienced first hand rising medication costs, which cause his dollars to not go as far as they used to. 

"Oh man, this is wonderful," Will said as he sat in his recliner sifting through the Senior Care Kit. "These are great — I can always use a toothbrush! Thank you very much."

man sitting on bench holding box.
Bill is excited to receive a Senior Care Kit.

Another recipient of a Senior Care Kit, Bill, was thankful for the lotion he received saying, "It was so badly needed. My hands are chapped. Thank you."

Senior Care Kits couldn't reach so many seniors without the help of hundreds of volunteers, and donors and partners. The Lester & Barbara Page Sr. Endowment Fund at Berrien Community Foundation helps to fund this project along with support from Corewell Health Foundation, Frederick S. Upton Foundation, AEP Cook Nuclear and private donations, and an in-kind donation from Honor Credit Union.