MIAMI VALLEY — A Columbus-based company has moved into the Miami Valley and it’s filling a void for seniors in our communities who need meals.
News Center 7’s Kylie Bridgeman went with drivers as they delivered meals to people’s front doors.
Last month, hundreds of seniors in the Miami Valley had their Meals on Wheels services discontinued. But the Columbus-based company is stepping up to fill the void.
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“I didn’t think I was gonna get back on them after they closed the one off,” said Jennie Peak, Meals on Wheels recipient. “Cuz nobody even called me or nothin.”
On June 30, hundreds of people were left uncertain as their Meals on Wheels provider stopped coming.
“They thought they were going to be able to go through August,” said Chuck Gehrling.” They weren’t. They had to shut down the end of June because one of their food suppliers shut them down.
Gehrling leads Lifecare Alliance as President and CEO. He swiftly got these deliveries back on track.
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“We haven’t seen a client yet that we didn’t think needed the service,” he said. “So it’s a very good group and we’re getting them all fed.”
Molly Haroz is the organization’s Vice President of Operations and she had no problem stepping in to deliver.
“I’ve done it for almost 18 years,” Haroz said. “Years now and it’s a lifestyle, is what I say.”
She said these meals mean more than food on the table because drivers are making real connections with the people they serve.
“That’s a huge key to what we’re doing is developing that relationship so that you’re starting to notice if somebody’s not quite the same as they were the week before,” Haroz said.
According to Lifecare Alliance, thousands of seniors are on the waitlist for meal services in the U.S. but nobody waits for Meals on Wheels in Columbus.
He wants to make that the reality in Dayton.
“What you can do in one hour is, like I said, life-changing sometimes, depending on the outcome of the delivery,” Haroz said.
The CEO of Lifecare Alliance told us that while this is an emergency contract, they plan to extend services into a full contract in the new year.
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