Meals keep moving and meeting needs

Gladys Kelly's eyesight is failing. Unable to drive and homebound in her Cape Girardeau apartment, she depends on the Meals on Wheels program for a hot meal.

"I look forward to that every day," said Kelly, 96, a former Franklin Elementary School teacher who used to help deliver the meals. "I feel fortunate that I have it."

Meals on Wheels -- which has been operating since 1974 -- is one of three programs that deliver hot noon meals to shut-ins in Cape Girardeau County with the help of volunteers. It's the only one that's not tax-supported. The other two are operated by the Cape Girardeau and Jackson senior centers.

The three programs combined currently deliver about 280 meals a day, Monday through Friday, or nearly 73,000 meals a year to shut-ins -- many of whom, organizers say, rely on the deliveries for their only hot meal of the day.

Those involved in the meal delivery programs say the service is more than just handing out food. Homebound residents get some camaraderie and a person to check on their well-being.

Many shut-ins live alone and don't have family close by. Without the daily food deliveries, a fall or other injury could go undetected. Some who receive meals have been discovered on the floors of their homes after being too hurt to call for help, say organizers of the programs.

"They count on us," said Debbie Stockton, administrator of the Jackson Senior Center. "We are the only one they see."

Most aren't able to cook much. The hot meals allow them to live at home. Without the service, they'd likely be in nursing homes, Stockton said.

All three programs interview applicants and check medical records to make sure they are truly homebound. Many are referred by hospitals and doctors.

Those involved in the food delivery programs insist there's enough need to warrant all three programs.

The Cape Girardeau Senior Center prepares and delivers meals to about 100 homebound residents a day in the city of Cape Girardeau and the southern part of Cape Girardeau County. About 50 people are on a waiting list, said Susan McClanahan, who directs the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. She said four vans are used to deliver meals, and there's no room to carry any more.

The Jackson Senior Center currently delivers more than 90 meals a day, most of them in the city of Jackson. Fewer than 30 are delivered to shut-ins in the northern part of the county. The service is provided with two vans and a backup vehicle. Like Cape Girardeau, it employs drivers and relies on volunteers to help with deliveries.

Southeast Missouri Hospital operates Meals on Wheels with assistance from 26 area churches, whose volunteers deliver the hospital-cooked meals. The Medical Alliance, whose members are doctors' spouses, also helps with deliveries. The program currently serves about 80 people, all of them in the city of Cape Girardeau.

Some people get meals Monday through Friday; others take fewer meals. The total varies from week to week.

Door to door

On Tuesday, 14 members of First Christian Church delivered 68 meals.

Edna Ruth Fischer and her husband, J. Ronald Fischer, a former city manager of Cape Girardeau, were among volunteers.

On Tuesday, they made eight stops and delivered 10 meals. Edna Ruth Fischer delivered food and cheerful greetings at each stop. "A lot of them don't see anybody else all day long," she said.

Many would like the volunteers to stay awhile but the Fischers, like other volunteers, keep to a schedule. J. Ronald Fischer stays in the car while Edna Ruth Fischer delivers the meals, chatting only briefly with the homebound residents.

In 40 minutes, they were able to complete their route and return to the hospital loading dock to drop off the empty trays from the previous day's deliveries.

Nancy Bray, who works with the Meals on Wheels program at Southeast, said the program has openings for a few more Cape Girardeau city residents. Meals are provided based on the individual dietary needs of the homebound. They're similar to the meals hospital patients receive.

Bray said Meals on Wheels seeks to serve 80 to 100 people a day.

Participants pay $2.25 per meal. The hospital auxiliary donates money when needed. But typically it is self-supporting, Bray said.

Gladys Kelly called the meals a bargain.

"It is a health bargain and a money bargain too," she said.

Stuck at home

Glenda Morrison and her husband, Bennie, both 76, have been getting the meals at their Cape Girardeau home for two years. "It has just been wonderful," she said. "The service is good."

They've come to rely on the food and the fellowship. "We don't drive and we are stuck here," she said as she stood in her kitchen.

Stockton, who runs the Jackson center, said it costs nearly $38,000 a year to deliver meals to the homebound in Jackson and northern Cape Girardeau County. That includes the cost of fixing the meals, salaries of personnel and the expense of operating the vans, she said.

McClanahan, who runs the Cape Girardeau center, said her budget doesn't break out the expense of that single program.

Both senior centers receive federal funds through the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging, donations from the United Way and money from a 5-cent property tax that goes to fund services for senior citizens.

Other funding comes from private donations and donations from the elderly who receive the meals. The suggested donation is $2.50 for a meal, but not all shut-ins pay it. "We encourage them to pay what they can," McClanahan said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

MEALS FOR THE HOMEBOUND

MEALS ON WHEELS

Number served:About 23,000 meals a year to elderly in the city of Cape Girardeau

Operated by:Southeast Missouri Hospital and volunteers from area churches and the Medical Alliance whose members are doctors' spouses

Cost: $2.25 a meal

Budget: Supported by the meal fee and occasionally from donations.

For information: Call 651-5800

CAPE GIRARDEAU SENIOR CENTER PROGRAM

Number served: About 30,000 meals a year to elderly in the city of Cape Girardeau and southern Cape Girardeau County

Operated by: The Cape Girardeau Senior Center with help from volunteers; program is aided by federal funding and county tax money.

Suggested donation: $2.50 per meal

Budget: Cape Girardeau Senior Center operates on a budget of $264,000 a year, which includes meal deliveries. Federal dollars distributed by the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging and money from a tax-generated Senior Citizens Services Fund provide nearly half of the center's funding. The senior citizens fund, administered by a county board, gets money from a 5-cent property tax. The Area Wide United Way provides another $15,600. The rest comes from donations and fund raising.

For information: 335-1352

JACKSON SENIOR CENTER PROGRAM

Number served: About 19,700 meals a year to elderly in the city of Jackson and northern Cape Girardeau County

Operated by: The Jackson Senior Center, with help from volunteers; program is aided by federal funding and county tax money

Suggested donation: $2.50 per meal

Budget: Jackson Senior Center operates on a budget of $214,000 a year, which includes meal deliveries. About $100,000 comes from federal and county tax money from the Area Agency on Aging and the county's senior citizens fund. United Way contributes $12,500 a year. The rest comes from donations and fund raising.

For information: 243-4241

SOURCES: Meals on Wheels, senior centers

Southeast Missourian