Southern Tier Classic Chevy Club Donates $1,000 To Meals On Wheels

Meals on Wheels of the Jamestown Area can feed more senior citizens in Chautauqua County after receiving a $1,000 donation from the Southern Tier Classic Chevy Club.

"It's great that we can support Meals on Wheels," said Tom Brown, co-chair of the club. "We wanted to keep the monies local. That was our primary goal."

The money the club contributed to Meals on Wheels was from proceeds from the June 10 classic car show at the Celoron Ribfest.

Brown said that when the club made the decision to contribute the money to Meals on Wheels, there were many club members who spoke on how they or their families have been helped by Meals on Wheels.

Meals on Wheels will use the contribution to start meal delivery service for seniors in central and southern Chautauqua County, said Meals on Wheels Executive Director Barrie Yochim.

"We are excited about the results of the car show, and the great effort the Classic Chevy Club and the show's sponsors put forth for us," Yochim said. "This is essential funding which gets food into the hands of our community's seniors."

Since April 1, Meals on Wheels has seen so much of an increase in senior citizens requiring food delivery that the organization has been forced to begin a waiting list for services, Yochim said. That means the seniors who can't afford meal service on their own can't start to receive Meals on Wheels until the organization has funding to cover the cost of the meals. The $1,000 donation from the Classic Chevy Club will help Meals on Wheels start service for up to five local seniors.

More than 130 cars were on display at the car show. Jamestown Macadam Inc. and Lake Shore Paving were the two primary sponsors of the event. Ziebart sponsored the Best in Show trophy. Community Bank also was an event sponsor.

The Southern Tier Classic Chevy Club is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of classic Chevrolet vehicles built between 1955 and 1972, but the club welcomes any Chevrolet or other model classic car into its membership.

Nancy Lahnen, past-president of the Meals on Wheels board of directors helped connect the Classic Chevy Club with Meals on Wheels.

"I want to thank Tom Brown, his co-chair, Dave Wilson and the entire organization for their recent donation to the Jamestown Meals on Wheels," she said. "This was a wonderful surprise and will definitely help those in need to receive nutritious meals. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with the Southern Tier Classic Chevy Club under the direction of Tom and Dave."

Senior citizens in Jamestown and in central and southern Chautauqua County can receive a heatable or a cold sandwich meal each day, or both, as needed from Jamestown Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels also provides frozen meals to be used on weekends, in some cases. The suggested cost for home delivery of one heatable meal and one cold meal is $9 per day. For either a heatable or cold meal, the suggested cost is $5 per day.

Meals on Wheels can keep its delivery costs low because it utilizes many volunteers who help deliver meals each day. Volunteer delivery routes, called satellite routes, are delivered in Jamestown, Lakewood, Falconer, Celoron and Fluvanna each day. Volunteers deliver more than 100 meals each day for Meals on Wheels. Some Meals on Wheels volunteers are from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.

Meals on Wheels is a United Way partner agency.