{"id":7287,"date":"2016-01-06T01:33:30","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T06:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=7287"},"modified":"2016-01-06T01:33:31","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T06:33:31","slug":"as-challenges-mount-brick-delivers-crucial-help-to-meals-on-wheels-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2016\/01\/as-challenges-mount-brick-delivers-crucial-help-to-meals-on-wheels-program\/","title":{"rendered":"As Challenges Mount, Brick Delivers Crucial Help to Meals on Wheels Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Meals<\/a>

Meals are prepared in a kitchen for Ocean County senior citizens. (Photo: Ocean County Meals on Wheels)<\/p><\/div>\n

As Ocean County\u2019s Meals on Wheels programs grows each year, Brick has provided unprecedented support that is not replicated anywhere else in the county, according to the program\u2019s director.<\/p>\n

Ocean County will spend $2.6 million on senior meal services this year, with the county taxpayers funding a portion worth $1.4 million, Freeholder Joseph Vicari said. The remainder is funded by federal sources, which county officials say are not keeping up with the increased demand.<\/p>\n

With every penny counting more and more, Brick has saved the county program between $70,000 and $80,000 each year by transporting senior citizens to and from the local nutrition site, located at the VFW hall on Adamston Road, which houses the township\u2019s senior center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means I can take that money and feed more people in Brick Township,\u201d said Jim Sigurdson, director of Ocean County Meals on Wheels.<\/p>\n

\"Mayor<\/a>

Mayor John Ducey donates a check to Ocean County Meals on Wheels. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

The program, one of the largest of its kind in the state, does not just bring meals to residents in their homes. Several nutrition sites are set up county-wide on a daily basis to provide not only food, but a social opportunity for residents who may not otherwise have had interpersonal interaction for the entire day. Meals are cooked in two county-run kitchens in Stafford and Lakewood townships, and include meat, fish or pasta, vegetables, bread, juice, fruit or dessert, as well as milk. The meals are planned by a licensed dietitian.<\/p>\n

As Ocean County\u2019s senior citizen population continues to grow, officials have also caught on to the trend that seniors are living longer, and often remaining in their homes. Of Ocean County\u2019s senior citizens age 85 or older, 83 percent live in the community \u2013 not at a nursing facility, as stereotypes often suggest.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows the importance of keeping our seniors at home,\u201d Sigurdson said.<\/p>\n

Sigurdson complimented the township\u2019s commitment to Meals on Wheels when he attended a recent council meeting to accept a check from Mayor John Ducey, who donated the proceeds from his annual \u201cMayor\u2019s Challenge\u201d to the program. Each year, the mayor donates $5 for everyone who beats him in the Bricktoberfest 5K race. Ties to the organization run deep within the township.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil President [Paul] Mummolo was volunteering with us long before he ran for office a few years ago,\u201d said Sigurdson.<\/p>\n

County officials project that they will provide 281,000 meals to seniors in 2016.<\/p>\n[box type=\u201dshadow\u201d align=\u201d\u201d class=\u201d\u201d width=\u201d\u201d]Meals on Wheels Information<\/strong><\/p>\n