Emporia’s Friendship Meals Program is making a plea for help from the community — a plea for funds to support the purchase of a new cooksite located in the former Emporia Rehabilitation Center building.
Terri Brooks, nutrition coordinator of Friendship Meals, said that $10,000 has been raised so far. However, the program needs at least $10,000 more by Tuesday to make the move a reality.
Brooks said the initial amount is needed by Tuesday with a total of $200,000 needed later this year to complete the purchase of the building. The building will be used as a cook site for the Friendship Meals program, Brooks said.
Bringing the cook site back to Emporia has been a goal for years. As it stands now, the meals are cooked in Ottawa and trucked to Lyon County.
“I think it’s important for the meals to be cooked in Emporia because these people are going to get fresher meals,” Brooks said. “They are going to be hotter.”
Brooks said the meal program is a vital part of the community. Last year, the program averaged 160 meals a day just in home deliveries. That does not include meals served at the county’s senior centers, for which the organization also prepares meals.
Many times, Brooks said, Friendship Meals volunteers are the only contacts homebound people have during the day.
“We really need the money because it’s important to keep this program going,” Brooks said. “We are keeping them at home and out of the nursing homes.”
Brooks said the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, which runs the meals program, is separate from the county’s senior centers.
“We’re not a senior center,” she said. “We’re the ones who provide the meals for the senior centers. We’re not shutting the senior center down. We’re not trying to compete with them.”
“Nobody else has ever had their meal program, just North Central,” she said.
The kitchen that serves the program now is located at the Heritage Center, and it’s too small, Brooks said.
“For the amount of meals we have to put out, the kitchen is just not big enough for what we needed for their stuff and our stuff,” she said.
“We just really would like the community to back this,” she said. “People don’t have to give a lot. Any little bit helps.”
To donate, a fund has been set up at ESB Financial, 801 Merchant St. and 12th Avenue and Industrial Road. Checks should be made payable to the Friendship Meals Project.
wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...
Why do we need all this money when we have a Senior Center and they have a good kitchen? There is something going on here that isn't quite right or good. The money could be spent to fix the roof and the meals fixed for the seniors, and it would be good for the whole community. The truth needs to come out about all this, as years back the Senior Center prepared the meals for the Meals on Wheels.
March 30, 2009 at 8:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tell (anonymous) says...
It does seem like something is fishy, that building is way to big its going to cost a fortune to keep up.
March 30, 2009 at 8:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
crossriverjordan (anonymous) says...
The Heritage Center appears to have plenty of cooking space and storage space available. It is a big building with a licensed kitchen. I know Abundant Harvest only uses it about 3 hours per day.
March 31, 2009 at 7:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )