Meals on Wheels packages will help clients get through holiday
By From staff reports
Published in News on November 18, 2012 1:50 AM
When Realtor Danny Southerland at Prudential The McMillen Real Estate Group heard that Meals on Wheels would have a three-day gap to fill to help feed senior citizens at Christmas, he knew he had to do something.
The reason? Southerland is one of the volunteers who take time each week to deliver the meals to local needy seniors. He knows what the meals mean to those he visits.
So, back he went to his office -- an idea of a partnership forming in his head.
And now the realty group is taking up the cause, asking residents to join with the Meals on Wheels staff, the Goldsboro Youth Council and Prudential The McMillen Real Estate Group to help feed 330 seniors for three days over the Christmas holidays.
Realtor, broker and office manager Sue Howell said the group chooses community service projects to support all year long. But when the Realtors heard about the Meals on Wheels concerns, they felt they had to get involved.
"A lot of folks depend on this food," she said. "Sometimes they are the only hot meals they get. A lot have no family. This will give them something, some staple foods during those days. Somebody's got to help them."
Meals on Wheels will be closed Dec. 24-26. And since the service is normally closed on Saturdays and Sundays, that is five days straight that recipients will not get any food delivered.
Meals on Wheels volunteers, with the help of the Goldsboro Youth Council, will assemble special holiday bags Dec. 18 in preparation for delivery in advance of the week of Christmas.
Donations for the bags should be made before Dec. 17.
Mrs. Howell said she and other volunteers figured up the cost and a meal with a main dish, some fruit, crackers and even a holiday treat could be created for about $5 each. Donations of cash will help allow the bulk buying necessary, although any item on the list can be donated to help make sure that there is a special holiday sack for every Meals on Wheels recipient.
Items that are appropriate for the bags include:
* Pop-top cans of vegetable soup or beef stew
* Pop-top cans of Vienna sausages or potted meat
* Pop-top cans or individually packaged (such as plastic cups) of fruit like pears, peaches or fruit cocktail
* Individual boxes of raisins
* Individual packages of hot chocolate
* Individual cans (4 to 6 ounces) or containers of fruit juice
* Individual packages of crackers such as Nabs or saltines
* Individually wrapped cookies
* Individually wrapped candy or candy canes
Donations may be dropped off at the Meals on Wheels office at 601 Royall Ave. or at the Prudential The McMillen Real Estate Group office at 1004 N. Berkeley Blvd.
Checks should be made out to WAGES, with the notation "Meals on Wheels" in the subject line.
For more information on the program's needs, call Brownie Doss, nutrition program administrator, at 919-580-1790. To donate, call Prudential The McMillen Real Estate Group at 919-778-9500 or the Meals on Wheels office.