50 years, 1.5 million meals: State College Area Meals on Wheels marks a milestone
Fifty years and 1.5 million meals later, the State College Area Meals on Wheels has a lot to celebrate.
Despite the past year, the State College Area Meals on Wheels not only continued its services, but expanded them for their clients who were acutely affected by the pandemic. The organization that hand delivers meals to senior citizens started a pet program, a calling volunteer program, held a book drive for clients and is working to develop a grocery shopping program, executive director Suelynn Shiller said.
Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the first meal delivered by the State College Area Meals on Wheels in 1971. They’ve grown from serving 28 clients that first year to now serving 250 a year. During the last 50 years, 1.5 million meals have been served. They provide services to anyone who lives within the State College Area School District who is unable to shop for food and prepare meals on their own. There is no age or income limit.
“I think Meals on Wheels is an important part of every community, but especially in communities like ours, where people are aging in place in pretty significant numbers. And that’s only going to increase,” Shiller said.
The past 18 months have been a challenge, board president Sharon Ambrose said during Monday’s 50th anniversary celebration Grace Lutheran Church, where Meals on Wheels is based.
But they’re coming out stronger than ever.
The organization prides itself of not missing a single meal delivery during the pandemic. The staff, board and volunteers quickly adapted and reduced deliveries from five days a week to three, with frozen meals and shelf stable groceries and help from the surrounding communities.
During the pandemic, clients had a hard time finding someone to go to the store for them. Some of those clients had pets and oftentimes needed cat or dog food, or cat litter. Shiller said they posted about their needs on social media and Centre County PAWS offered their help. The two agencies formed a relationship and now PAWS provides supplies for about 5-6 cats and 4-6 dogs each month, Shiller said.
Helen Dempsey, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, became the point person for the pet program. During Monday’s anniversary celebration, Dempsey explained she contacts the clients to find out what they needed, makes a list, picks up the items at PAWS and delivers it to the clients.
“I have to say that, hands down, the pet supply program has been the most fun volunteer thing I have ever done,” Dempsey said.
Typically when meals are delivered, the volunteers are able to chat with the clients for a few minutes to check in with them and form a relationship. But when Meals on Wheels had to modify their services, those check-ins couldn’t happen. To prevent their clients from being isolated, they started a volunteer calling program.
Sarah Sanderson is one of those volunteers. She admitted that she hates making phone calls, but knew how important that social interaction was. Her feelings quickly changed from hesitation to deep gratitude when she realized her clients trusted her and were willing to share important things with her, she said.
“We talked about family, we talked about doctor visits, we talked about our childhoods, we talked about some of the hardships of them not being able to see the people that they love and they missed during the COVID time,” Sanderson said. “Even though we have returned to nearly normal deliveries, some of our clients still enjoy the phone call so much that they asked to be kept on the list.”
Looking forward, Shiller has high hopes for the nonprofit. She thinks the service will need to adapt as dietary needs will change and volunteerism will shift.
“I think the diets will need to change. I think the options will need to change. Right now our clients’ favorite meals are pimento cheese and hot dogs and baked beans. That’s not going to be the favorite meal in maybe even five years,” she said.
She will continue to seek grants to develop the “next level” of meal kits and will form relationships with local people in the food industry, Shiller said, to offer meal choices. Through the pandemic it showed how important it is to support the local food economy. With grants, they were able to purchase food locally last year and their clients loved it, she said.
None of this would be possible without their volunteers, and that will remain the same.
“We are committed to providing uninterrupted service for the next 50 years and we can only do that because of the strength and the commitment of the folks in State College,” Shiller said.
