The motto for Meals on Wheels is <93>so no homebound person goes hungry,<93> says Anna Carol Buffington, the current director of Meals on Wheels in State College. The group operates out of Grace Lutheran Church on East Beaver Ave. and Buffington has been with the non-profit organization for 18 years. She became director when the then-director was resigning to become a stay-at-home mom. The outgoing director encouraged her to apply, as did her minister, but Buffington was not initially interested in the position. The outgoing director gave her a second phone call, imploring her to apply for the position. <93>At that point I decided God was pushing me in this direction,<94> said Buffington.
A native of New Brighton in western PA, Buffington received a Bachelor<92>s in Food Service and Housing Administration at Penn State and did a dietetic internship with Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY. She has been a registered dietitian since 1969 and is a L.D.N. (licensed dietician and nutritionist) with the state of PA.
Meals on Wheels is a non -profit, charitable corporation that prepares and delivers meals to homebound people. They do client intake over the phone and currently provide meals to 160 clients in the State College area. Persons with medical and mental health problems that prevent them from preparing their own meals are welcome to apply. There are no income requirements, and they have a sliding scale system by which clients can pay for their meals.
Meals on Wheels currently has 3 paid employees, including Buffington, a head cook, and a food service worker. <93>It is difficult to find someone who can cook on that large a scale as a volunteer,<94> said Buffington. The total number of volunteers numbers over 1000. There are 125-150 adults who help on a regular basis. They help portion, package, and deliver the meals. A baker comes in on Mondays to bake, and two people come in on Fridays to peel potatoes. According to Buffington, they use all fresh potatoes and the volunteers peel about 50 pounds of potatoes each Friday.
Meals on Wheels also uses youth volunteers to decorate the large white paper bags in which the supper meals are packaged. Many service fraternities on campus help and students do it as a homecoming service project. Elementary school students will decorate bags and make valentines for the Meals on Wheels as a Martin Luther King Day project, and they decorate the bags for many other special occasions as well.
Meals on Wheels is headed by a 25 member board of directors who set the vision and mission for the organization. They are all volunteers and do fundraising and participate in different committees. They do an annual gala benefit dinner. The next one is scheduled for April 26, 2007 at the Nittany Lion Inn and Franco Harris is slated to speak at the event. Meals on Wheels receives no government money and is not a member of United Way, said Buffington. They do all their own fundraising.
Meals on Wheels delivers meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. On each of those days, clients receive a hot meal and a bagged supper. Hot meals consist of a meat, starch, vegetable, and fruit. Bagged supper includes salad or soup, a sandwich, dessert, and milk or juice. They are able to accommodate various diet restrictions, such as diabetic, low fat/low cholesterol, renal, and food allergies, Buffington said.
Buffington<92>s other passion is handbelll choirs. She is director of the handbell choir at Grace Lutheran Church and a ringer in the handbell choir at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. She serves on the board of directors for the Tri-State Handbell Guild which includes PA, New York, and New Jersey. They plan festivals and events for handbell ringers.
Buffington also participates in the Centre County Council of Human Services, the umbrella organization for health and human services agencies and individuals, and is currently the newsletter editor. She is on Worship and Music committee at Grace Lutheran Church. On a larger scale, she participates in the Meals on Wheels Association of America Leaders Lab, a group of 22 nationwide leaders who are developing a blueprint for Meals on Wheels of the future. <93>What it would be in 10-15 years,<94> Buffington said. She is a member of the group purchasing committee, which is looking at combining their purchasing power. According to Buffington, by combining their purchasing power, Meals on Wheels would be second only to McDonald<92>s.
Meals on Wheels prepares approximately 45,000 meals per year and the State College organization is approaching their 1 millionth meal. For information on volunteering, donating, or becoming a client, contact Meals on Wheels at (814) 237-8135.
A native of New Brighton in western PA, Buffington received a Bachelor<92>s in Food Service and Housing Administration at Penn State and did a dietetic internship with Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY. She has been a registered dietitian since 1969 and is a L.D.N. (licensed dietician and nutritionist) with the state of PA.
Meals on Wheels is a non -profit, charitable corporation that prepares and delivers meals to homebound people. They do client intake over the phone and currently provide meals to 160 clients in the State College area. Persons with medical and mental health problems that prevent them from preparing their own meals are welcome to apply. There are no income requirements, and they have a sliding scale system by which clients can pay for their meals.
Meals on Wheels currently has 3 paid employees, including Buffington, a head cook, and a food service worker. <93>It is difficult to find someone who can cook on that large a scale as a volunteer,<94> said Buffington. The total number of volunteers numbers over 1000. There are 125-150 adults who help on a regular basis. They help portion, package, and deliver the meals. A baker comes in on Mondays to bake, and two people come in on Fridays to peel potatoes. According to Buffington, they use all fresh potatoes and the volunteers peel about 50 pounds of potatoes each Friday.
Meals on Wheels also uses youth volunteers to decorate the large white paper bags in which the supper meals are packaged. Many service fraternities on campus help and students do it as a homecoming service project. Elementary school students will decorate bags and make valentines for the Meals on Wheels as a Martin Luther King Day project, and they decorate the bags for many other special occasions as well.
Meals on Wheels is headed by a 25 member board of directors who set the vision and mission for the organization. They are all volunteers and do fundraising and participate in different committees. They do an annual gala benefit dinner. The next one is scheduled for April 26, 2007 at the Nittany Lion Inn and Franco Harris is slated to speak at the event. Meals on Wheels receives no government money and is not a member of United Way, said Buffington. They do all their own fundraising.
Meals on Wheels delivers meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. On each of those days, clients receive a hot meal and a bagged supper. Hot meals consist of a meat, starch, vegetable, and fruit. Bagged supper includes salad or soup, a sandwich, dessert, and milk or juice. They are able to accommodate various diet restrictions, such as diabetic, low fat/low cholesterol, renal, and food allergies, Buffington said.
Buffington<92>s other passion is handbelll choirs. She is director of the handbell choir at Grace Lutheran Church and a ringer in the handbell choir at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. She serves on the board of directors for the Tri-State Handbell Guild which includes PA, New York, and New Jersey. They plan festivals and events for handbell ringers.
Buffington also participates in the Centre County Council of Human Services, the umbrella organization for health and human services agencies and individuals, and is currently the newsletter editor. She is on Worship and Music committee at Grace Lutheran Church. On a larger scale, she participates in the Meals on Wheels Association of America Leaders Lab, a group of 22 nationwide leaders who are developing a blueprint for Meals on Wheels of the future. <93>What it would be in 10-15 years,<94> Buffington said. She is a member of the group purchasing committee, which is looking at combining their purchasing power. According to Buffington, by combining their purchasing power, Meals on Wheels would be second only to McDonald<92>s.
Meals on Wheels prepares approximately 45,000 meals per year and the State College organization is approaching their 1 millionth meal. For information on volunteering, donating, or becoming a client, contact Meals on Wheels at (814) 237-8135.
