Delivering meals to seniors

Kaela Anderson, left, regional lead for The Center in Gainesville and the Ava Senior Center, and volunteer Cass Martin work to organize the 246 frozen prepared meals that were part of The Center’s delivery routes Tuesday. Anderson said 63 meals were delivered on the Theodosia and Pontiac route, and 183 meals were delivered to the Caulfield area. “We run four routes. Three go out weekly, and the Caulfield route goes out bimonthly. We also have a Protem route that goes out once a month,” Anderson said. “We’re currently adding new folks every single day.” The Center provides one frozen prepared meal per day, per person over the age of 60. Meals can be delivered to residents, or residents who wish to pick them up can call The Center at 679-4746 to arrange pickup. Anderson said The Center also has up to 14 days’ worth of emergency meals that they can distribute to anyone who may not be able to buy food or who cannot go to the store. “We don’t want anyone sitting at home hungry,” she said. The Center’s personnel and volunteers have also been active with their reassurance program, calling seniors several times a week or every day to check in and make sure they are doing well. “We don’t want anyone to feel even more isolated than they already are in isolation now,” Anderson said. “It’s especially important for our seniors whose visits from family and friends can be few and far between.” See more information in The Center’s weekly news items, page 6 in this week's Times.