LEWISBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is participating in a partnership aimed at providing meals and other assistance to at-risk seniors, disabled and immunosuppressed individuals while helping to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WVSOM has joined the Feeding Seniors/Saving Businesses program, which began as an idea by local attorney Jennifer Keadle Mason to connect isolated seniors with meals provided by area restaurants. The program depends on donations through the nonprofit Bimbo Coles & Company, with funds managed by local certified public accountant Doug Bicksler, who is donating accounting services. Local government and volunteers in the communities the program currently serves — Alderson, Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs, Frankford, Renick, Ronceverte and Williamsburg — are also participating.
The medical school has established a hotline to accept calls from those who need meals, groceries or pharmacy items delivered to their homes. Individuals who call the hotline at 304-793-6583 will be directed to leave their name, address, phone number and reason for calling. The call will be returned by a staff member of WVSOM’s Center for Rural and Community Health (CRCH), who will register the caller for the service requested, provide encouragement and, if needed, direct the caller to additional resources in response to their specific need.
Those who enroll in the program receive evening meals five days a week, delivered by a volunteer from their community. Calls must be placed by 2 p.m. on the weekday prior to the day the first delivery is needed. For calls after 2 p.m., the first delivery will be made two days after the call is placed.
One recipient of the meal deliveries, 79-year-old Patty Hunter, of Alderson, said that although she is in good health and able to shop, her children have advised her to stay inside due to the current need for social distancing.
“It’s a wonderful thing they’re doing,” Hunter said of the program. “It not only keeps me from having to go to the store, but I didn’t have to wash dishes. It makes life just a little easier during a difficult time, and for those seniors who are in poor health or have no way of getting out, it’s truly a blessing. It’s an example of why it’s great to live in West Virginia, a place where everybody chips in to help when it’s needed the most.”
Additionally, seniors who have prepaid for groceries and pharmacy orders can call the hotline to request that their order be picked up and delivered by Mountain Transit Authority bus drivers. To comply with social distancing guidelines, drivers will knock, leave the items and depart before the door is answered.
Sally Hurst, WVSOM CRCH director of outreach programs, said that as of March 30, Mason had enrolled more than 325 seniors to receive meals.
“This is a beautiful collaboration that creates a safety net for our seniors as they deal with the isolation imposed as a result of COVID-19,” Hurst said of the program. “It’s also a lifeline to help seniors and those in need feel less alone. If someone calls and has a specific question, we can refer them to resources within the community.”
Restaurants currently participating in the Feeding Seniors/Saving Businesses program include Hill & Holler Pizza and The Asylum in Lewisburg; 50 East Restaurant & Tavern and April’s Pizzeria in White Sulphur Springs; Spring Creek Station Bar & Grille in Renick; and Big Wheel Family Restaurant in Alderson. Mason is working with additional restaurants in an effort to expand the program to other Greenbrier County communities.
Community volunteers will continue to deliver evening meals to seniors as long as donations cover costs. Donations are tax-deductible and checks can be made out to Bimbo Coles & Company Project Inc. and mailed to Jennifer Keadle Mason, 1194 Barkalin Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901. For more information on donating, call 412-427-8828.