Corning Meals on Wheels & Lowman Food Pantry
Tender plants, well-fed flourish. So, too does the community. Food is a common denominator among all human beings. With proper nutrition, we thrive and grow; without it, we wither. The growing, gathering, preparing and sharing of food define community and bind family. The rituals surrounding food represent love and foster tradition. For many members of our community the thought of their next meal engenders feelings of anxiety and loneliness caused by age, isolation, immobility aor economic hardship. Thankfully, the Lowman Food Pantry and Corning Meals on Wheels get to the root of the problem, considering it part of their respective missions to feed the body and the spirit.
In 2001, Nancy Lowman realized a dream; she persuaded her home church to host a food pantry. Today, co-coordinators, Lowman and Hal DeHaas welcome folks to the "grocery-store style" pantry and the Lowman United Methodist Church on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month. Eight volunteers serve 70-80 families - nearly 200 children, adults and seniors. During the holiday season or special "giveaways" DeHaas says it's not unusual to see 100 families. "They are not our clients," he states, emphatically. "We refer to the folks who come as our friends and neighbors. That puts into sharp focus just who it is we'er serving. No one is immune to hunger and no one should ever be ashamed to seek help."
When folks can't come to the food, Corning Meals on Wheels brings it right to their door. Indeed, in 2010, the 44-year old organization served more than 56,000 meals. "Food delivery is the vehicle for all the support we provide," says Executive Direction, Joe Detrick. "It's just as important to us to offer companionship, community and connection."
Meals on Wheels volunteers pay a visit to each person on their route to insure he or she is safe for the day. The anticipation of this visit give home-bound people something to look forward to the next day. "More importantly, it provides peace of mind for seniors and their families," explains Detrick. You can't cook, bake or buy that kind of nourishment, but it certainly feeds the spirit of the entire community.
