The Worthington Times

Worthington’s Senior Center provides several important services for our community including nutritious lunches served Monday through Friday, hot “Meals on Wheels” delivered to the door of our homebound folks, computer access, exercise equipment, free blood-pressure and blood-sugar check-ups, pitch-in dinners, a downtown place to visit with friends, information about services for seniors, and a place to play cards.

They’ve been doing this for a long time but some things about the lunch program have changed since the last Times report. The food is much better, the atmosphere in the lunch corner has improved—every day, it looks like there’s some kind of holiday going on in there, there’s a new reservation procedure and the kitchen crew has changed too. (Read about Meal Site Director Jennifer under on Page One.)

Seniors are always welcome to eat lunch at the center every weekday, Mondays through Fridays, but a reservation needs to be made. Since the food comes from afar, the Center needs to know how much to order. If you want to eat lunch at the Center, just call 875-2525 sometime before noon the day ahead and let Mary Louise know you’ll be there for good food and good company.

How much does it cost? The meal program is operated under the auspices of Generations and they urge donations to help keep the program going. Their suggested donation amount is based on one’s monthly income. For those over 60 with monthly income of $300 or less, the suggested contribution is $.75 per meal; for $301-500 monthly, $1.25; for $501-700, $1.75; for $701-900, $2.50; and for monthly incomes over $901, $3.00. For those under 60 years of age, the suggested donation is $4.00 to eat at the center or $4.50 for a Meals on Wheels lunch. But these are just suggested amounts.

In reality, the Center does not want anyone to miss lunch due to lack of funds. So there is no cash register, no place to “checkout,” and no waiter that comes around to take your money. There’s just a donation can sitting on a table near the front door. Come, eat lunch, and on your way out, drop a donation in the can — whatever you can spare. It is believed some drop in the exact amount, some drop more, some less. It’s a great system — and another reason why Worthington is a great place to be.

For folks who are homebound and need a good, hot meal delivered to their door, the local Meals on Wheels program is run through the Center.

The menu for Meals on Wheels meals is the same as for meals served in the center. The meals are prepared by Jennifer in the center’s kitchen, packed in insulated bags and delivered by Marsha Rawley.

The donation system for Meals on Wheels is also basically the same and meals are never discontinued for lack of a contribution.

At any one time, the Meals on Wheels program in Worthington is delivering to an average of 15 local folks who are homebound.

If you or a family member are in need of Meals on Wheels services, call Generations toll-free at 800-472-9002. For all other information about the nutrition program, call the center at 875-2525.