Meals on Wheels Currently Accepting More Seniors for the Program

County routes for the Meals on Wheels program appears to be declining and to make sure seniors don’t go without a meal; the Alpena Senior Citizens Center wants to help.

“We have drivers that go out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So it’s not out of the way for us, we’re already passing most of these houses. We want to make sure everyone knows about Meals on Wheels. The decrease maybe because they moved away, some people move downstate or with family. There are some people that move to a care facility, and there are some that pass away,” In Home Service Manager, Mike Stauffer said.

One issue appears to be the lack of knowledge about the program.

“They can come into the center or they can just call. I can set up an assessment to come out to the house, get all of the paperwork done and verify that they do qualify and we can get meals started within one to two days. It’s not a big turnover; we want to make sure that everyone gets what he or she needs,” Stauffer said.

With the winter season ahead, the Meals on Wheels program is another way to check up on seniors to make sure they are in health.

“If you have family that lives out in the county and you get concerned about them because you can’t make it out there, we have to see the person whose receiving the meal. If we don’t see them and we’re not notified we do have procedures in place to make sure that they are doing OK,” Stauffer explained.

And if you’re a picky eater, that’s no problem at all.

“We do have other options besides the hot meal they can have a shack lunch which has varies things maybe a half sandwich or a hot dog or a fish sandwich or something like that, something easy to heat up. There are salads that the kitchen can make and put in there so there is a variety of food that they can receive,” he added.

If you, a caregiver, or a loved one would like to learn more about the Meals on Wheels program contact the Alpena Senior Center at 989–356–3585.