Meals on Wheels volunteers and many of those who use the program welcome the possible move back to Safety Harbor.
By MEGAN SCOTT
Published June 23, 2004
SAFETY HARBOR - Meals on Wheels may have found a new parking space.
The Church of Christ on Booth Street has agreed to accommodate the program, which provides free, home-delivered meals to the elderly and disabled. The city will spend an estimated $3,000 to make the church wheelchair-accessible.
The agreement will end Meals on Wheels' search for a place to operate in Safety Harbor. The program has been looking for a new distribution center since spring, when the church where it was previously located told program officials it needed the space.
Since then, Meals on Wheels has been operating out of Palm Lake Village in Dunedin, which means volunteers working the Safety Harbor community must drive more miles to pick up meals for delivery.
The program's congregate dining service also shifted to Dunedin, so seniors had to be bused there. Some decided it was too much hassle to ride the bus to Dunedin.
"We don't go every day like we used to," said Ruth Hayes, 81, of Safety Harbor. "Gas went up, so we had to cut down to two or three days on the bus. And the bus ride takes about two hours. It just doesn't seem right."
Church of Christ can accommodate about 40 seniors for dining, said the Rev. Glenn Burgess. The church also has room for ovens and food storage, he said.
But the space may be too small, said Denise Doman, the organization's nutrition director. On some days, Palm Lake Village in Dunedin has about 60 seniors for lunch.
"My observation of the site is it will not accommodate 40 people when you take into consideration wheelchairs and walkers," she said. "We need to do some modifications on the facility itself. Even with that I'm not convinced that it will accommodate 40 people but we'll certainly see."
Neighborly Care Network, the nonprofit based in St. Petersburg that sponsors Meals on Wheels, has raised more than $2,000 to help offset the rising cost of gas for volunteers countywide.
"We haven't lost any volunteers as of yet," Doman said. "They are still waiting for relief which we're trying to work on."
While none of the church's members are enrolled in Meals on Wheels, Burgess said he wanted to do what he could to help the community. The church has been in Safety Harbor for about 20 years and has 65 members.
"We don't have a lot of things during the day," Burgess said. "And we would like more things going on during the day. We want to help the community. All of us live here, and if there's a need and we can help, we should."
Hayes said if the program moves back to Safety Harbor, she will go every day. Church of Christ is only a few minutes away from her house.
At one time, senior dining was very convenient for Hayes. It was right across the street from her house in Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.
"We have talked to a lot of people," Hayes said. "They really miss it. It would be a blessing to have it here again."
