BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK – In a society consumed by the socialization component of food, some people still eat to live instead of living to eat. To aid with residents who are in need of food delivery to sustain themselves in their daily lives, the township offers the Meals on Wheels program, in which over 60 volunteers aid the elderly and disabled around town.
Since 1986 North Brunswick has assisted its residents with selections of pot roast, baked garlic chicken, lasagna, stuffed cabbage, assorted vegetables, whole wheat bread, mixed green salads, fresh fruit and chocolate sundaes. In meals prepared in Kearney and picked up from South Brunswick, the Middlesex County sponsored program offers weekday and holiday lunches to anyone who qualifies for the program.
“I’m in awe every time,” volunteer coordinator Gae Mangarella said of the program. “I don’t deliver much anymore … but I always enjoyed going out and meeting people and talking to them because sometimes the volunteers are the only people they are going to see that day.”
Each day has its own set of volunteers who pick up the meals from the Senior Center at 10:30 a.m. and deliver them to one of four routes along Route 27, Route 130 and the senior apartments at 740 Hermann Road. Sometimes the residents are living alone, sometimes they are recovering from surgery and sometimes they are bedridden.
“Some people can’t even get by the stove and we have people who are on temporarily. It’s very gratifying to know they are feeling better and they can help themselves but we always leave the door open if they need it again,” the coordinator since 1987 said.
Some volunteers even run errands for their residents, especially if they are unable to do it themselves.
“I think it’s a very gratifying way of helping out. You can’t help but feel like you’ve done something,” Mangarella said. “What would we do without it, my God? … I can’t say enough about the service and I would hate to see it stop.”
Since Meals on Wheels used to have over 100 volunteers and substitutes, the program is in need of anyone interested in donating their time. Drivers must have a form of transportation, although every once in a while senior transportation may be used if available. A driver and runner are paired, so sometimes they share their means of transportation. Residents can contact Mangarella at (732) 247-0922, ext. 551.
Anyone interested in utilizing the Meals on Wheels service should contact Outreach Coordinator Jack McHugh at the same number. There is a suggested voluntary donation of $2.75 per meal, which is subsidized by the county.