Thomas Crowel, president and CEO of the Crowel Agency and founder of Faith Ministries Worldwide, presented a $10,000 donation to Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana.

Sandra Noe, executive director of Meals on Wheels, received the donation to benefit the organization's endowment fund held at Legacy Foundation.

Crowel established the Thomas Ray Crowel Fund in 2003 to benefit the mission of feeding those in need.

"Because my mother, Delphia, had been a long-time volunteer for Meals on Wheels, I wanted to honor her memory by establishing a fund that would live forever," Crowel said in a written release.

"I feel fortunate that I can continue to significantly support this endowment - it's a great way to provide for the future of Meals on Wheels."

In addition to the Crowel Fund, Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana has an additional fund in its own name managed by the Legacy Foundation.

Making a contribution to an endowment fund ensures a gift will provide ongoing revenue for the benefiting agency. The gift is not spent but invested, so that each year only a portion of the earnings is made available to the agency to be used for charitable purposes.

The Legacy Foundation holds many endowment funds for local charitable organizations, and donations of any size are welcome.

With a mission to improve the quality of life and nutritional health of persons in need, Meals on Wheels feeds the homebound elderly, ill and disabled, as well as adults and children in day care, according to the release.

To make a donation to Meals on Wheels, call the organization at (219) 756-FOOD or the Legacy Foundation at 736-1880.

- For The Times