BELLOWS FALLS — Every month, a small group of volunteers from Our Place Drop-in Center fans out around the Bellows Falls area to deliver food to homebound disabled people who can't get out on their own.
Long-time volunteer Paul Sackevich will visit 14 homes in Bellows Falls with a bag of staples that may include fresh produce and, more recently, a frozen meal.
The outlying areas are covered by Paul Soboleski, who visits 11 homes. At River View, Kathy Leo will make 10 deliveries, and Tomas O'Flaithearta, a new volunteer, will drop off six bags at Canal House.
Sackevich and Soboleski have been delivering the meals for five or six years, and Sackevich also delivers Meals on Wheels from the Bellows Falls Senior Center.
Amanda Reed of Our Place puts the bags together each month from items from the center's food pantry, adding fresh vegetables or special treats like chocolate-covered raisins when they are available.
A $15,000 grant from a private foundation has made it possible for Our Place chef Matt Gowell to prepare frozen meals such as chicken and risotto or pork with apples, potatoes and carrots to include in the delivery.
“We now have $10 extra per person to purchase meat and dairy and the containers for the meals,” said Our Place director Lisa Pitcher.
She explained that anyone who is disabled can request the delivery, and there are no income eligibility requirements.
“If folks need it, we are here to help, and they or a family member can give us a call,” she added.