PARSONS – The falling leaves will soon give way to flurries of snow, cold weather and ice, which can limit the ability of folks to travel to the supermarkets and even to work. Administrators at the Tucker County Senior Center have anticipated these weather-related incidents and have been packing and delivering emergency food boxes so folks will not be caught short.
Tucker County Senior Center Director Roxanne Tuesing said food has been collected, and the boxes have been assembled and deliver to client’s homes.
“We have 156 clients or families that will receive an emergency food supply,” Tuesing stated. “They are our home delivered meals clients and in-home care clients.”
These meals are crucial to Tucker County residents, and if the weather or other incidents prohibit daily delivery, folks can go to their shelves and use the emergency food until the weather breaks or meals can resume.
“In the event that something would happen and we cannot get meals to these clients, or if their worker cannot get to them, they have enough supplies for a week of meals,” Tuesing said. “We supply them with a list of items in the box and how to fix them. This year, we have added shelf-stable milk.”
Tuesing said she is pleased to have the shelf-stable milk – in years past, they have used powdered milk and she said she felt the shelf-stable milk tastes much better.
“Powdered milk is okay to use for macaroni and cheese and that kind of stuff,” Tuesing stated. “The boxes contain a large box of dry cereal, and this milk is much better for that.”
The boxes are packed with the hopes to provide food for three meals a day for at least five days. The contain items like chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, two cans of hearty soup, canned salmon, macaroni and cheese, pork and beans, green beans, green beans, a large box of cereal, bottled water, soda, shelf-stable milk, a large container of juice, applesauce, Pop Tarts, instant oatmeal and packaged fruits.
“Tucker County Senior Center has provided these boxes since 1987,” Tuesing said. “We absorb the cost of these boxes. We try to make it in to work and out to the homes no matter what – but these are in the homes, just in case.”
According to Tuesing the folks who receive the boxes are on the list for a reason. “They are vulnerable, they are fragile, they are elderly – in most instances, they do not have anyone else to take care of them – so if our workers cannot get to them, they don’t have anybody.”
Boxes for food climbed the walls at the Senior Center while Tuesing and her troops prepared the emergency boxes. Tuesing said most of the food for the boxes comes from the Mountaineer Food Bank.
“I have been working with the Mountaineer Food Bank since 1987,” Tuesing said. “We could not do this without Mountaineer Food Bank. Every three months, my husband and I rent a U-Haul and go down to pick up unsorted dry goods. Mountaineer Food Bank works through Feeding America – they receive food from Walmart, Sam’s Club and Kroger – and that helps make these emergency boxes possible.”
Tuesing said she thinks the clients are grateful to have the emergency rations.
“The letter I send out with the boxes instructs the clients to only use the food if the workers cannot get out to them,” Tuesing said. “We try very hard to prevent folks from going hungry.”
Feeding folks is a passion Tuesing said he holds close to her heart.
“It is a passion of mine,” Tuesing said. “It’s very important to me – food insecurity is sad. It’s sad that people have to make choices. My goal is when these boxes are delivered, it will free up space for more food in our food bank.
Tuesing said the allotments made it into the homes last week.
“Some of the workers picked up the packages for their clients and some were delivered with home delivered meals,” Tuesing said. “On Fridays, we send out frozen meals for the weekends for our people, and we try to keep that separate.
Putting the cartons together was made possible with the help of volunteers from Tucker County Community Corrections, workers from the Department of Health and Human Resources and WV WORKS, along with volunteers and staff at the Tucker County Senior Center.
Additional information about the Tucker County Senior Center is available by calling 304-478-2423 or by visiting them at 206 Third St. in Parsons.
