Smiles for Seniors Foundation

Results: We helped thousands of seniors with hundreds of thousand in funding for basic needs since our inception in 2007

Target demographics: 100% Low Income Seniors

Direct beneficiaries per year: 500+

Geographic areas served: Southern California Inland Empire and Coachella Valley- All of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties

Programs: Smiles for Seniors is a Non Profit 501 c (3) organization proudly serving our low income seniors in the Inland Empire and surrounding areas since 2007. We have quickly become one of the leading senior assistance agencies known for providing emergency assistance for food, housing, utility payments such as water, gas, electricity, minor home and auto repair and help pay for life saving prescriptions and medical equipment just to name a few. In fact Riverside and San Bernardino Counties 211 program, refer over 400 low income seniors per month to our agency. To be eligible for the program senior clients must be age 65 and be very low income. Please note that most of our clients only receive an average Social Security of 950.00 per month Our Programs and Services HEALTH. We provide emergency funding for Co-pays, not covered by Medi-Cal/Medi-Care or private insurance. Our program has assisted low income seniors with lifesaving medications and medical supplies, Cochlear implants, hearing aids, glasses and eye exams, dental procedures, prosthetic limbs, cancer treatments, nutritional supplements, diabetes supplies, incontinence supplies, oxygen and blood pressure monitors, just to name a few. We are often the last resort for seniors who cannot afford to pay their co-pays or who have no means to get the lifesaving medications or medical equipment their doctors have prescribed. FOOD, We provide grocery store gift cards that our seniors can use to get fresh meat, vegetables and dairy products. These items are not usually provided by church, missions or food pantries. We also hold free food drives and deliver food and meals to home bound seniors along with providing valuable resources to local food programs We are very proud of the fact that during the pandemic, Smiles for Seniors was able to provide hundreds of low-income seniors with food boxes at a time in our history when the grocery store shelves were bare, and no food was to be found anywhere because of the hoarding and shipping related issues. In the first days of the Pandemic the Federal and State food/feeding programs had not yet been rolled out, however, Smiles for Seniors and volunteers were able to procure pack and deliver food to the seniors in the community. Nothing stopped us. We had an army of volunteers, and we went to restaurant supply stores from here to L.A. and loaded up many rented and donated trucks and vans with much needed food, Toilet paper, hygiene and PPE supplies for our vulnerable senior citizens. HOUSING, Smiles for Seniors ensures housing stability by supporting seniors in maintaining safe and affordable housing through rental assistance, deposits and home repair services. We are proud of the fact that we have helped place many homeless seniors in to affordable housing and off of the streets. UTILITY ASSISTANCE, Smiles for seniors provides emergency assistance for those who are having difficulty paying their utility bills. We have close relationships with many utility companies who refer to our agency and we are often able to get fees and late charges waived or reduced. We are also one of the only agencies providing financial assistance for water bills in the Inland Empire.