By Sheila G. Kelley, development coordinator
Newton Meals on Wheels received the Harvey County United Way Susan Randall Bradrick Memorial Award in 2021 for their exceptional work dealing with COVID challenges. Thankfully, they were named as an essential business so were able to continue serving meals in Newton.
“The award was a wonderful surprise and much appreciated,” said Tamie Larez, MOW director for the past eight years. “We got an early start practicing with new delivery protocol when we heard about the first cases in Kansas.”
They actually practiced for a couple weeks before she heard of any cases in Harvey County but she was thankful they had a head start on new procedures. A lot of clients were reaching out in fear that volunteers weren’t going to be able to deliver their daily meals.
“For some of our clients, it’s a lifeline to them to be able to get one healthy meal a day,” Tamie said. Meals are served seven days a week and must meet specific requirements by the Older Americans Act, the agency that supports critical services that keep our nation’s seniors healthy and independent.
Several MOW programs have volunteers cook and prepare their meals. The Newton MOW is fortunate to have a wonderful partnership with NMC Health, their Food and Nutrition Services Department prepares and serves the daily meals. Meals are planned to meet nutritional requirements as per the state guidelines and prepared based on client preferences and dietary needs.
The MOW program has a long history of 49 years in our community. Meals on Wheels has grown into a valued asset for supporting our seniors at risk. The program not only keeps seniors at home, it saves millions in tax dollars by keeping them out of more costly healthcare facilities.
“The last couple of years have been especially challenging with the loss of clients, volunteers, and hospital staff due to COVID,” Tamie stated.
Many dedicated volunteers and staff members are committed to the improvement of the quality of life, well-being and improvement of health for our seniors. Meals on Wheels provides an essential role assuring that meals go out in all types of weather, on weekends and holidays, every day of the year.
This program supports seniors in our community with a daily noon meal, helping many people stay in their homes a little longer before they have to consider additional care options. They hear many stories of how beneficial this program is for people who have a difficult time preparing adequate nutritional intake for themselves.
Tamie said she has great admiration for her volunteers, some of which deliver meals 2-3 times a week.
“I feel like the volunteers are really who run our program,” Tamie said with a smile. “Without the volunteers, I couldn’t run the program.”
Currently there are 107 active volunteers servicing five routes, seven days a week, 365 days a year – Newton is split into four routes and North Newton counts for the fifth.
“We rely on Harvey County United Way’s grant funding. It helps us to provide a lifeline for many seniors in need,” Tamie said. “We have built such a great partnership with United Way and my hope is it will continue to grow. They have fostered our beliefs in our mission to provide support to our seniors in our community. It’s been that other hand that really keeps us going. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the United Way,” Tamie said. “A partnership I’ve grown to love. They have a strong belief in providing Meals on Wheels support to strengthen our community.”
The United Way 