SCRANTON, Pa. — First-time volunteers were hard at work Wednesday inside the kitchen at Meals on Wheels of NEPA, scooping, sealing, and stacking hundreds of Thanksgiving dinners for homebound seniors.
"It's quite an operation! I'm really blown away by what they do here," said Mike Castellano, special projects manager for United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike.
It's an undertaking that takes weeks of preparation and cooking. And that's on top of what the program does every single day in Scranton.
"Every day, we prepare about 2,000, so an extra 200 wasn't really too much extra for us, so we just added a little bit," said Lindsey Skripka, Meals on Wheels Nepa director.
United Way volunteers aren't the only ones getting in on the cooking. Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich also strapped on his apron.
"Older adults need us," Sec. Kavulich said. "They've given so much to all of us so that we can be the people that we are today. So, we have to do our job to make sure they live with the dignity and respect they deserve in our communities."
Each meal will be delivered right to the door of the seniors in need, many of whom are unable to get around on their own.
"For them, I'm hoping that it relieves a lot of the stress and a lot of the pressure of being able to cook a meal or even having to leave the house to get food," Castellano said.
And it's not just about a hot meal this holiday but also a friendly face at the door.
"That is so magical for me, personally. I really love seeing the clients and being able to connect with the older adults, and hearing their stories. Because their narratives are really what drives us and our mission," Skripka said.
Meals on Wheels officials say 90 percent of the seniors getting this Thanksgiving meal are not enrolled in their program, but they hope this outreach will connect them with their services.
"It is a forgotten-about community a lot of the time. But I think the county is doing a great job recognizing that and realize that filling those gaps in services. And then again, opportunities like this, we're just so thankful to be able to reach that community," Castellano added.
Giving the gift of comfort through some food and a smile this holiday season.