Linda Ochoa sat in her living room the other week, her long hair falling down her back.

“It used to be hot in here,” she said. “It was so hot, I could never have my hair down. I had one little air conditioner in my room, and I had to stay in there with the door closed all the time.”

The oppressive heat in Ms. Ochoa’s home is now gone, thanks to the One House at a Time (OHT) project, a collaboration between A Nurtured World and Meals on Wheels and More. The project aims to reduce clients’ utility bills by 50 percent by installing energy efficient appliances and performing other energy-saving modifications to their homes.

Since its inception, OHT has improved the homes of five MOWAM clients and is currently in the process of fundraising so the project can continue.
For Ms. Ochoa, the help has been a dream come true. In 1997, Ms. Ochoa suffered an on-the-job injury while working at a local nursing home, which led to permanent nerve damage on the left side of her body. Her left hand is barely usable and she suffers constant pain and seizures.

“I loved that job,” she said. “And I wanted it so badly, because I felt that I owed it to my parents to take care of them. But I got hurt.”

Despite seeking legal help, Ms. Ochoa still has not received any compensation from her former employer, she said, and because of many problems with health insurance, she has to travel over six hours to Lubbock whenever she needs to see a doctor. When Ms. Ochoa stopped being able to work due to her limited mobility and the amount of pain caused by her nerve damage, her husband set off to find a better paying job.

While he thankfully found one, it unfortunately paid too much for Ms. Ochoa to continue receiving Medicaid. She now suffers seizures because she can’t afford medicine.

“I cried when they took my insurance away,” she said.

Her husband’s new insurance is kicking in, but it means less money for bills and food. Ms. Ochoa said the family’s electricity bills alone were averaging between $200 and $300 per month.

Thanks to you, Ms. Ochoa receives not only meals, but now has a comfortable home. OHT volunteers installed many new appliances at the Ochoa home, most of which were Energy Star-rated, including two new air conditioner units, a new refrigerator, a new washer, and a new stove.

Your support is what makes meaningful partnerships like OHT possible and is what enriches the lives of people like Ms. Ochoa by providing more than just a meal.

OHT is currently fundraising so that it can continue this important project and improving the lives of MOWAM’s clients.