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“Anyone who wants or needs a meal, we don’t turn anybody down,” said Pat Scheets, a core staff person at the Summersville Senior Center. That’s the attitude of someone who knows the power of a homecooked meal and why the Summersville Senior Center means a lot to their community.

As people age, mobility and isolation become two major factors affecting a person’s health and independence. Grocery shopping, cooking and leaving the house become more difficult, but weekly lunches served at the Summersville Senior Center ensure seniors have a consistent source of nourishing meals and community.

“A lot of the people that get a meal are here every day,” said Pat. “They can come, eat a good meal, visit with their friends. I think they look forward to it not only for food, but for socializing.”

Pat says that their weekly meals create a close-knit community. Because so many of the attendees are regulars, it allows neighbors to look out for each other as they get older. In fact, Pat tells the story of one elderly man whose presence at the senior center was so regular that it may have saved his life. When the gentleman didn’t show up for a meal as usual, staff and neighbors began asking around to see if anyone had heard from him. When no one had, a community member drove to his home to check on him, only to find that he’d fallen by his front door. They were able to take him to the hospital right away.

This story is just one example of the power of sharing meals with neighbors. The pull of community and hearty meals at the senior center is so strong that some people will drive up to 20 miles from neighboring rural towns to take part in the lunches. The meals even allow seniors to retain their independence knowing their neighbors will support them as they age or when they have trouble cooking for themselves.

Pat shared, “[The Summersville Senior Center] is an important place for people in the community. Last year, the community got together to have a fundraiser for the senior center because they want to keep our center open. They want to take care of our older people and have the back of our community. Some people we serve are people’s parents, and the kids want to support us so mama can keep getting a good meal at the center.”

Ozarks Food Harvest plays a part in that support by delivering donated and purchased food each month at no extra cost to the senior center. Pat explained, “The way food prices have gotten, if we didn’t get help from Ozarks Food Harvest, we probably couldn’t stay open. There are still bills to pay, and we wouldn’t be able to provide as good or as big a meal as we do without that help.”

The Food Bank is happy to support organizations like the Summersville Senior Center who are a source of hope and nutrition for their communities. Thank you to Pat and the rest of the staff and volunteers who work hard to feed their neighbors in Summersville and surrounding areas. You are helping to Transform Hunger into Hope.