HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Every morning, cooks hustle around the kitchens of the Christian County Senior Center prepping massive amounts of food for their home delivered meals program. Around 200 hot meals are hand delivered every weekday to seniors throughout the county.
“Seniors need us, seniors are the forgotten ones. Seniors are why we are here today,” said Rachel Newman, the director of aging at Pennyrile Allied Community Services. Newman has been with PACS since 1999 and believes their home delivered meals program continues to have the most impact. With the program, people are able to maintain a nutritious diet while also maintaining their independence.
“The goal of our programs are to help seniors maintain independency and to stay independent in their home as long as they can,” Newman explained. “Every senior’s biggest fear is the nursing home.”
Vans are loaded with the day’s meal at 8 a.m., and a carefully timed routes ensure each senior gets the proper attention. A lot of driving, and a lot of heart is required to get the job done. While the main goal is delivering food, Newman said the delivery drivers also act as a lifeline for seniors that are often living alone. “They have formed that relationship with their meal deliverer,” she said.
Delivering the food
PACS oversees the senior center, and also serves food to other counties in the Pennyrile region. Feeding these additional counties along with their prep for meals served at the center requires a lot of coordination and dedication from staff and volunteers.
Baked chicken, salmon patties, chicken alfredo, tacos, meatloaf, and orange chicken, are just a few of the main dish options served up with care for the month of June. Depending on the meal, cooks have just a few hours to lovingly prepare these along with side dishes, and dessert.
Small tasks around the house and quick conversations are all it takes to lift someone’s spirits during a delivery. On a few grim occasions, seniors are found alone in emergent situations where delivery drivers are luckily able to intervene. Volunteers are always welcome to hop on a route and help things run smoothly, an opportunity Newman believes everyone should jump at the chance to try.
“I encourage anybody that would want to volunteer to come and ride on a meal route,” said Newman. “You will definitely see how blessed you are. Just the little things we take for granted they are so thankful for.”
While there is currently a waitlist to join the program, PACS is prioritizing expanding the service to be accessible to anyone who needs it. Newman encourages seniors to explore the many programs the senior center and PACS has to offer. She emphasized that they are not a senior living facility, but an activity center with dances, social gatherings, and many other fun community events. Find out more about programs at the PACS website.
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