Although some of the services that would normally be offered at the Gilmer Senior Center are on hold for the time being, the local Meals on Wheels program administered by North Georgia Community Action (NGCA) will continue, representatives confirmed.
“Two loyal volunteers, my staff and I have arranged for 10 meals to be delivered every other week to our homebound clients. We’re doubling up and doing two weeks at a time,” said Vicki Stonecipher, site manager at the Gilmer Senior Center, the delivery hub for the local Meals on Wheels program.
The program has frozen and hot meal routes. Both depend on how close those who receive the meals live to the senior center, Stonecipher noted. Hot meals are still being delivered five days a week.
In all, the program typically serves between 35-40 local residents a day. That number has increased somewhat since the health crisis began.
“I’ve got some that I’m trying to get signed on (right now),” Stonecipher said.
Donated items, including toiletries, will also be given out along with meals as long as supply allows.
“We’re able to send out a goody bag with our deliveries thanks to generous donations from the community. I’ve really been impressed with the donations (and) we’ll be doing the goody bags as long as they last,” said Stonecipher.
One bag consists of staples like toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, toothpaste and deodorant, while another contains food like cookies, pudding, applesauce, canned meats and canned vegetables.
“The virus may be a terrible thing, but it has sure brought out a lot of kindness in people,” Stonecipher shared. “I’ve been overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness the community has shown during this crisis. Our seniors have also been touched by the extras we’ve been able to provide.”
There is not a pressing need for additional Meals on Wheels volunteers at this time, but that could change after the health emergency situation passes, noted Brian Young, NGCA senior life services director.
“We are not allowing new volunteers as we have balanced available resources with meal demand in this crisis. That’s also to minimize risk and exposure for our clients. Once normal operations resume, we (will) always need volunteers,” he added.
Other NGCA programs affected
Although meals are still being delivered from the senior center, the gathering place that typically offers activities and a place for senior citizens to go Monday-Friday is closed until further notice.
Local MATS (Mountain Area Transportation System) buses are also not running, noted Young. The bus service typically provides public transportation for residents of Gilmer, Gordon, Fannin and Pickens counties.
“Both the MATS program and our (home) weatherization program are suspended at this time due to risk of the spread of the virus, ” Young said. “For MATS, it’s also partially in that they support the Senior Centers, which, at this time, are closed to guests.”
A NGCA cooling assistance program recently served 300 senior citizens, but the application deadline for that program has passed and NGCA doesn’t expect to receive additional funding for it, explained Candy Carringer of the Gilmer NGCA office.
“We do the heating and cooling programs yearly and both of those are closed out. If we got funding, we would do (cooling assistance for) the general public May 1. We’re probably not going to get any more funding. We’re hoping we’ll get some after this settles down, but I don’t have anything for sure,” she added.
For more information on signing up to receive Meals on Wheels in Gilmer County, call the Gilmer Senior Center at 706-635-7688. The senior center is not open for its regular hours, so leave a message if no one answers.