Senior News October, 2001 Vol. 20. No.  10

 

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

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NutriMinute

Trinidad: Home Delivered Meals nears its one-year anniversary

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Trinidad
Home Delivered Meals nears its one-year anniversary
by Joyce Hayes

It's a labor of love, commitment and service to fellow residents that has made the Trinidad Home Delivered Meal program a success.

Since November 2000, volunteers have met weekly to receive meals and deliver them to seniors in the Trinidad area. Before this time, the only food available was a bag of groceries delivered once a month by the Lion's Club Food Pantry.

Recognizing that there was a need for seniors in the Trinidad/Westhaven communities to have more assistance with their nutritional needs, local resident Alida Thistleton, a registered dietitian by profession, was determined to establish a program that provided a daily source of nutritional meals. After several years of talking to various agencies, Alida and a core group of volunteers from the Lions Club Food Pantry teamed up with the Humboldt Senior Resource Center Nutrition Program to begin the development of the current program. The initial service began after successfully receiving grant funds from the National Meals on Wheels Corp. and Philip Morris Corp.to offer a pilot program for one year.

This service is unique because it is truly a collaborative effort between commercial, government and nonprofit groups. The meals are prepared at the HSRC nutrition program's central kitchen in Eureka. After being packaged and frozen, they are delivered by United Parcel Service overnight express to the California Department of Forestry facility in Trinidad. Waiting at this location is a team of dedicated volunteers from the Lions Club Food Pantry and local churches who receive the packages and proceed to deliver five nutritious meals each week to eligible seniors. Each meal meets one-third of the senior's daily nutritional requirements. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program provides assistance with mileage reimbursement to the volunteers.

The ongoing funds for this program are being provided by the Area Agency on Aging from Older American Act funding. These dollars are provided to the HSRC Nutrition Program to serve home delivered meals in the communities of Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, Trinidad/Westhaven and Orleans.

Joyce Hayes is HSRC Nutrition Program director.