Employee Finds Crafty Way to Help Seniors

When it comes to San Diego County seniors, Cathy Cardoza is always there for them.

On holidays, the County’s More on the Menu (MOM) program always provides an added touch with the hot, nutritious meals it delivers to homebound seniors. It’s usually a placemat handmade by local school children and a fresh flower. 

The plan for Valentine’s Day this year had a glitch though. Through a mix-up, the school making the placemats didn’t create enough.

“They were short about 100 placemats,” said Cardoza. “We didn’t want anyone in the program to not receive a placemat.”

So Cardoza, an HHSA Aging & Independence Services administrative analyst that works with MOM, jumped into action.

She spent more than a dozen hours of her own time – with help from her mother - cutting, drawing and gluing to make up the placemat deficit.

“We both just went at it and did what we could and got them all done,” she said. “My mom was excited about and said, ‘let me know what you need.’”

For more about the MOM program, see CountyNewsCenter.com.