Chef Dave with Congregate Meals here--I whip meals right into shape! Every dice, every slice of veggies for me is just an act of compassion and sincere passion for what I do as a chef.
I make the congregate meals for our seniors here in the community of Manson, Iowa. We're funded by Elderbridge Agency on Aging, and we have a suggested price of $5 per meal for those who qualify.
I cook about 25 meals a day, and I'm kind of like the meal mailman, you know. Rain, sleet or snow doesn't matter. I know our seniors are counting on me... and I count on them.
Our closest grocery store is in Fort Dodge, Iowa, which is about 20 to 30 minutes drive from town. In the winter time especially, a lot of our seniors struggle to drive that distance for groceries.
We used to have community meals here at the MAC center (our town's recreational center) before COVID. We also had more funding then. Now, with losing grants, our budget has been cut in half, and the prices of groceries are just getting higher. So, I work my hours and then I volunteer the rest of my hours to make sure that all the work gets done. It's not just cooking. It's also ordering food and administrative work, too.
I believe it's in our everyday acts of compassion and service, those threads are what strengthen the very fabric of our society. This is a community effort. I couldn't do it without my volunteer drivers who deliver the meals. They come from a variety of churches in our town. Always stepping up to the plate to make sure our seniors are getting their meals on time. The community also stepped up to make up for our loss of funding when our grants were cut.
My greatest hope is that we do all we can to make these programs work and be successful. It takes the vision and then the village for putting people together to fulfill that vision. And that's part of being American -- that free, soulful spirit and endeavor to make things better and to serve up a greater and more compassionate America.
I make the congregate meals for our seniors here in the community of Manson, Iowa. We're funded by Elderbridge Agency on Aging, and we have a suggested price of $5 per meal for those who qualify.
I cook about 25 meals a day, and I'm kind of like the meal mailman, you know. Rain, sleet or snow doesn't matter. I know our seniors are counting on me... and I count on them.
Our closest grocery store is in Fort Dodge, Iowa, which is about 20 to 30 minutes drive from town. In the winter time especially, a lot of our seniors struggle to drive that distance for groceries.
We used to have community meals here at the MAC center (our town's recreational center) before COVID. We also had more funding then. Now, with losing grants, our budget has been cut in half, and the prices of groceries are just getting higher. So, I work my hours and then I volunteer the rest of my hours to make sure that all the work gets done. It's not just cooking. It's also ordering food and administrative work, too.
I believe it's in our everyday acts of compassion and service, those threads are what strengthen the very fabric of our society. This is a community effort. I couldn't do it without my volunteer drivers who deliver the meals. They come from a variety of churches in our town. Always stepping up to the plate to make sure our seniors are getting their meals on time. The community also stepped up to make up for our loss of funding when our grants were cut.
My greatest hope is that we do all we can to make these programs work and be successful. It takes the vision and then the village for putting people together to fulfill that vision. And that's part of being American -- that free, soulful spirit and endeavor to make things better and to serve up a greater and more compassionate America.