Opry to raise money for Meals on Wheels

Published 10:13 pm Wednesday, May 3, 2017

A night of good, old-fashioned fun and entertainment — plus helping a good cause — awaits ticketholders to Suffolk Meals on Wheels’ annual fundraiser next week.

This is the seventh year of the Rocky Hock Opry benefiting Suffolk Meals on Wheels, said executive director Roseland Worrell.

“It keeps growing each year, so we’re very thankful for that,” Worrell said. “Come and sit back and let us entertain you. This is supporting a community effort.”

Email newsletter signup

The fundraiser will take place at 7 p.m. May 12 at King’s Fork Middle School, 350 Kings Fork Road. The Opry’s new show this year includes classic country, oldies, gospel and comedy, including a “Tribute to the Eagles.”

Suffolk Meals on Wheels currently has 152 clients in Suffolk and Isle of Wight County. Each client receives two meals and two beverages each weekday, which are prepared at Sentara Obici Hospital with the input of a dietitian. The deliveries provide two-thirds of the daily vitamins and nutrients a person needs, Worrell said, and special preparations are available for those who require low sodium or other special diets.

Meal deliveries can be started quickly on an emergency basis for those who are, for example, transitioning out of the hospital after an illness or injury that prevents them from being able to prepare their own meals, whether temporarily or permanently.

Recipients pay $7 per day for the meals, but those who cannot afford to pay are accommodated.

Other than recipient fees, grants and donations are the only funding source for Suffolk Meals on Wheels. The organization runs on volunteers. Nearly 300 volunteers delivered more than 43,000 meals last year.

“We’re very blessed to have a lot of volunteers,” Worrell said.

A growing number of meals are being delivered in Isle of Wight County. About a third of recipients currently live in Isle of Wight, compared to only a small number a few years ago.

Tickets for the Rocky Hock Opry are $15 and are available at Farmers Bank locations in Suffolk, Windsor, Courtland and Smithfield; Virginia Commonwealth Bank on North Main Street; Bradshaw and Briesemeister DDS, 5501-D Bennetts Pasture Road; Windsor True Value Hardware; and the Suffolk Meals on Wheels office at Sentara Obici Hospital, 2800 Godwin Blvd.

Call 934-4911 for more information.