Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” She was wise in her years, and might agree with the more current pop culture sentiment that “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
Meals on Wheels of Hancock County is teaming up with community hunger-fighting champions Hoosier Harvest Market, Boys and Girls Clubs of Hancock County and the Hancock County Food Pantry to help bring fresh, Hoosier-grown produce to our program clients — especially when needed the most.
“It’s allowing people to work together while thinking outside of the box.” said Lynda Kosh, Meals on Wheels of Hancock County Executive Director. “We’re also connecting farmers to communities. What’s that quote, ‘Necessity is the motherhood of invention?'”
Chantal Fowler, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hancock County, agrees. Her organization is distributing meals to kids up to age 18 from 4-6 p.m. every Friday. The meals are distributed at a limited number, and will be distributed until they run out for that week.
“It’s modernizing and adapting to meeting the needs of the community,” she said.
Amy Suburg, Hoosier Harvest Market president and Berry Goods Farm owner, said her business has adapted to the social distancing and COVID-19 changes.
“I created an online store for my farm in two days,” she said.
Hoosier Harvest Market is a farmer-owned online cooperative featuring local produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, wheat products, flowers, honey and more, all grown or made throughout the state. Hoosier Harvest Market has partnered with Healthy 365, whose mission is promoting health, happiness, and wholeness in Hancock County, to ensure residents are staying healthy and fed, especially during the pandemic.
“Our partnership with Healthy 365 targets at-risk populations, and we’re in our third year now,” Suburg said. “We offer cooking classes, which we may need to offer online now, and include these recipes in the bags that go out.”
(See below for Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan recipe, courtesy of Hoosier Harvest Market.)
In addition to weekday deliveries of our signature hot and cold meals, we’re delivering Care Boxes filled with Hoosier Harvest Market pantry-stable produce and canned and dry foods and necessities from the Hancock County Food Pantry. We’re thrilled to receive packing support, including space and Care Box packers, through the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hancock County.
The Meals on Wheels of Hancock County team has been surveying clients to learn if available farm-to-table produce, pantry items and other necessities in Care Boxes are helpful. As well as finding out if pets need food and if there’s a need for masks. We are thankful for hand-made mask donations from Hancock County neighbors.
We appreciate all of our creative community partners in helping us deliver more than a meal during COVID-19. Also, packages of kindness and sentiments of love for neighbors.
