This Ties That Bind Us is sponsored by Matt The Carpet Guy.
SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. -Participants in Easterseals’ Pre-Vocational Services program are partnering with CHEER Centers in Sussex County to support Meals on Wheels and other senior services while building job skills and community connections.
At least once a week, a van carrying Easterseals participants arrives at CHEER Centers in Milton and Georgetown, where they help prepare, package and deliver meals to homebound seniors. The partnership provides hands-on experience for individuals with intellectual challenges while supporting a volunteer-dependent program that serves thousands of meals each week.
“When our Easterseals members come in, we get them set up to start serving the things that we need for our 600 and some meals that we do every week,” said Ricky Pitts, dietary director at CHEER in Milton. “We pack, bread, we do desserts.”
CHEER delivers about 1,700 meals a day across Sussex County and relies heavily on volunteers. Easterseals participants assist with two to three delivery routes each week and also help with plating food, packing meals, dishwashing and interacting with seniors in dining rooms through activities such as Wii bowling.
“The participants from Easterseals have made a big impact here,” said Ed Miller, senior kitchen manager at the CHEER Center in Georgetown. “They’re a big asset for us. They’re very committed and have a great attitude. We depend mainly on volunteers, and they are really helping the community of older people who are in need.”
Monica Mandujano, CHEER’s volunteer coodinator, said the participants play an important role in getting meals out into the community. “The participants coming in helps with the spread cheer throughout the community by helping us pack those meals and get them out,” Mandujano said
“This is generating a work ethic for them as well as responsibility, giving them stability so that when or if they tend to go into the workforce, they can in the future,” said Michael Chanoux, an Easterseals program support specialist.
The partnership also helps ensure seniors continue receiving meals.
“We make sure our members outside of the building are still being fed,” Pitts said. “They are a crucial part, along with our volunteers, to make sure that all these things get done during the week.”
Organizers say the impact extends beyond meal service.
“You just walk in and when you see them, they’re happy to see you,” said Linda Forte, Easterseals community relations and event coordinator. “They greet you. They are just full of good energy.”
Easterseals also offers individual and group supported employment services, helping businesses hire workers with disabilities and providing on-site coaching to support long-term success.