Volunteers prepare meals at the Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center and deliver them five days a week to Meal A Day program recipients in Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. The Meal A Day Menu for the week of Dec. 12-16, 2022 includes:
- MONDAY, Dec. 12 — Beef Shephard’s Pie, Topped with Mashed Potatoes, Normandy Vegetables and a Roll.
- TUESDAY, Dec. 13 —BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Baked Beans and Coleslaw.
- WEDNESDAY, Dec. 14 — Tater Tot Casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, and Broccoli.
- THURSDAY, Dec. 15 — Chicken Fried Chicken With Pepper Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and a Roll.
- FRIDAY, Dec. 16 — 2 Chili-Cheese Hot Dogs, Chips and Pickles.
Meal-A-Day is a small non-profit business in Sulphur Springs, Texas. The program is supportive, rewarding, and engaging. The goal for the program is to support the approximate 150-160 seniors receiving daily meals that desperately depend on Meal-A-Day.
The program depends on dedicated volunteers to provide this vital service. In a week, Meal-A-Day workers log approximately 80 volunteer hours preparing, cooking, and packaging meals; and approximately 65-80 volunteer hours delivering meals.
The program was fortunate last week to have community members volunteer their time to fill some of the most desperate needs — for Wednesday drivers and a Thursday cook. One is has even committed to serve as a substitute driver too. But, there’s still plenty of volunteer opportunities for individuals looking for a positive way to lend their time and efforts to help others.
“We can still use some substitute cook’s helpers and substitute drivers for any days of the week. It would be soooooo awesome if we could get a specific person for substitute cook’s helper that could fill-in on Monday and another specific person that could fill-in on Tuesdays etc. We do not have a problem if someone only wants to commit to substitute cooking on only one day. They don’t have to be willing to fill in on any day of the week; and the same thing with the substitute drivers. They can request to only fill in on a specific route or on a specific day of the week,” Tina Phillips and Cecile Toenniges, temporary coordinators for the Meal-A-Day program.
Volunteers who donate time from 7 to 8:30 a.m. help assemble and cook casseroles and vegetables, or donate time from 8:30 to 10 a.m. to package meals, cook desserts, and sanitize kitchen are appreciated. Volunteers don’t have to know how to cook – just be able to follow directions. The head cooks know the recipes and can guide volunteers in the steps to help them get the menu items cooked and assembled for the day’s meals.
We usually know a couple of days ahead when we need a substitute, so they don’t usually have to worry about being called the day before. Sometimes, we even know the week before,” said Phillips.
To volunteer, call the Senior Citizens Center at 903-885-1661 and ask for Cecil or Tina, or e-mail Meal-A-Day at [email protected].
The Sulphur Springs Senior Citizens Center is a place where Senior Citizens age 50 and over can have a good time with old friends and make some new ones. Meal-A-Day is just one service the center provides. The coffee pot is always on and a smile is on each face. The SCC has a full library with all different kinds of reading books that can be taken, read and returned. Take as many as you like and bring some of your books in to share with others. Click here to find more information for seniors citizens.
