By Aidan Schonbrun for the Saint Albans Messenger.
FRANKLIN COUNTY – During the holiday season, older adults may find themselves alone in a quiet house with a table set for one.
Age Well, a Vermont nonprofit focused on promoting healthy aging, is continuing efforts through the holiday season to provide food to older adults with their community meals and Grab and Go meals. The ready-made meals are meant for seniors age 60+, and their spouse who complete a yearly registration form.
“For many older adults, especially those who live alone or have limited mobility, the holiday season can bring increased feelings of isolation,” Tracey Shamberger, director of business development and communications, said. “Age Well is instrumental in ensuring that older adults have access to nutritious, healthy meals, while also providing a vital source of connection and support.”
The Grab and Go program allows participants to pick-up and then take their meal somewhere which may have community, friends or family. In Age Well’s 2024 Fiscal Year, it served nearly 29,000 meals through this program alone.
There are six locations in Franklin County to pick up the meals:
- 12-1 p.m. Mondays at Maquam Bay of Missisquoi Inc’s Food Distribution Center in Swanton.
- 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays at Sheldon Food Shelf
- 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays at Enosburg Public Library
- Noon-12:30 p.m. Thursdays at Highgate Library and Community Center
- 11 a.m.-noon Fridays at Richford Food Shelf
- 11 a.m.-noon Fridays at the Community Action Building in St. Albans
The community meals and the Grab and Go meals provide an important service, Shamberger said, especially during a holiday meant to celebrate togetherness.
Read the full article on the SAM website.