Suffolk News-Herald

Sharon DeWitt, executive director for Suffolk Meals on Wheels (SMOW) Program, announces officers on the SMOW Board of Directors for the year 2004.

They are as follows; Hugh A. West, chairman; Jennifer Bradshaw, vice chairman; Virginia Norfleet, secretary; Hattie P. West, assistant secretary; Douglas Casey, treasurer; Aubrey Skeeter, assistant treasurer and Sarah Walden, Historian.

The Board of Directors also extends a warm welcome to new member Susan Shelton, who is representing the Northern Suffolk Area.

The concept of Meals on Wheels was originated by the Red Cross in London, England, after World War II.

The service was established in Suffolk in March 1987 through the efforts of members of the community, Louise Obici Memorial Hospital and the former Suffolk Voluntary Action and Information Center, often referred to as VAC.

DeWitt said that the program is a service designed to assist any adult, regardless of age, who is disabled and/or frail, with a nutritious noon day meal.

&uot;It is also designed for any adult who is homebound, hurting and hungry and individuals who cannot cook for themselves or have any one to cook for them,&uot; she said. &uot;This allows for the elderly or disabled to remain in their homes and out of costly institutions. SMOW delivery provides a reassuring check for those who live alone and any unanswered delivery is checked. Changes in a participants’ health is followed up and when appropriate, refereed to family, physician, or other community resources.&uot;

SMOW helps to maintain the client’s health and aid in recovery and provides for daily contact with the outside world and provides home delivered meals to residents of Suffolk and Windsor. Meals are delivered mid-day, Monday through Friday, major holidays with weekends being excluded. They are delivered by volunteers in their own cars at their own expense. With the volunteers help, the meals are maintained at a lower cost.