By TIM PRESTON
GREENUP — People are the missing ingredient in the Greenup Meals on Wheels recipe to add rural residents along Ky. 7 to the list of daily diners.
Meals on Wheels is attempting “The Rural Initiative” by signing up volunteers to serve the area not presently covered by the South Shore Meals on Wheels program, according to spokesman Sharon Chaffin.
“Out on Ky. 7 we’ve had numerous, numerous calls for need, but we have no branch out there,” Chaffin said, adding the rural area’s many roads and hollows are too far from their food vendor in Greenup to get fresh meals to residents in a timely manner. “And, we need people from that area that are familiar with it.”
Since issuing the call for volunteers, Chaffin said, the local program has made contact with the owner of the Country Cafe to prepare meals for delivery, and signed up 11 to help get those meals to the elderly and disabled people who need them.
“Even if we could get 10 more that would be great,” she said, noting a local woman called upon members of her church to establish the initial pool of volunteers.
“The biggest challenge is getting enough volunteers and having enough money to pay the vendors,” Chaffin said, explaining meals cost $4 each and are provided on a sliding scale basis or provided at no cost to people who can’t afford them. Chaffin and others are encouraging those who can’t volunteer their time to support the program with a regular monthly contribution of $20 — enough money to feed a person for a week.
“If you can get a number of people giving that much every month, just think of how many people you could feed with that,” she said.
Chaffin asks those who live in the rural part of Greenup County to consider volunteering for two hours twice a month “and maybe spare a tank of gas,” to help provide a hot meal to their neighbors in need.
While the feeding program isn’t yet in place along Ky. 7, Chaffin said Meals on Wheels workers are actively accepting client applications for residents of that area. For more information, call (606) 473-3924, 473-1434 or 834-9421.
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.
