De Hostos Senior Center Inc

De Hostos Senior Center (DHSC) is a non-profit organization established in 1974, with a primary mission to provide comprehensive services to individuals over 60 years of age who live below the poverty line. Our goal is to ensure the independence, welfare, and self-sufficiency of seniors in the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County. Our name honors Eugenio María De Hostos, a Puerto Rican philosopher whose teachings on building free and self-sufficient societies deeply influence our beliefs and operations. For over four decades, we have been a vital resource for the senior community, particularly in the Allapattah, Wynwood, and Little Havana areas.

We address the critical issue of senior food insecurity by serving over 200 seniors daily with healthy, balanced breakfasts and lunches through support from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County. We also provide frozen meal deliveries to disabled seniors who are unable to visit the center. Despite our efforts, we face significant challenges. A projected budget cut for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and rising inflation have made it more difficult to meet the growing needs of our community. We currently have over 200 seniors on our waiting list and more than 350 participants on hold for our frozen food delivery program due to a lack of funds. To fully operate and effectively serve our community, we require $150,000. These funds would enable us to purchase a mini-bus for transportation, ensuring seniors with mobility issues can access our center, and allow us to reinstate our homebound meal delivery program. 

The De Hostos Senior Center (DHSC) provides healthy, balanced, and nutritious meals for breakfast and lunch to over 200 seniors daily, with support from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County. Our mission is to ensure an adequate standard of living and foster the well-being of individuals in need, regardless of age or disability. Additionally, DHSC's food distribution program serves more than 2,000 households in our community from food banks like Farm Share. Your generous support would directly contribute to these efforts, helping to provide a sustainable living environment and a consistent food source for local families.

At DHSC, we aim to improve and maintain their physical and mental abilities, recognizing the significant challenges many seniors face. For instance, in 2022, nearly 7 million seniors in the United States experienced food insecurity, lacking consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. This is a critical concern, with Feeding America projecting that over 9 million seniors could be food insecure by 2050. To address these needs, we provide daily hot meals (breakfast and lunch) to over 200 seniors in the community, ensuring every senior receives the necessary assistance for their well-being. More than just a place for daily meals, De Hostos Senior Center offers a secure and supportive environment where seniors feel at home and can thrive mentally and physically.