{"id":434370,"date":"2026-10-22T04:12:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T04:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434370\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T04:12:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T04:12:38","slug":"full-steam-ahead-groundbreaking-for-bigger-better-kitchen-at-elder-care-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/434370\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Full steam ahead\u2019: Groundbreaking for bigger, better kitchen at Elder Care Services"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Elder Care Services is breaking ground Wednesday on a long-awaited expansion that will enable it to renovate its kitchen and deliver Meals on Wheels to hundreds more seniors.<\/p>\n

The project has a $1.2 million price tag. <\/p>\n

\"ConstructionConstruction will soon begin on a bigger, better kitchen at Elder Care Services.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

Meals on Wheels volunteers who arrive each morning to pack up hot and cold meals for seniors on their routes are excited about a bigger, better kitchen coming soon. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to give them a lot more capacity here at Elder Care Services to be able to make all of these meals,\u201d said Meals on Wheels volunteer Kim Hinckley. \u201cWe serve so many people in the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"MealsMeals on Wheels volunteer Kim Hinckley loads up hot and cold meals for seniors on her route.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

The cramped kitchen and the team who works there have been churning out hundreds of meals for decades. <\/p>\n

\u201cThings are full steam ahead for our Meals on Wheels kitchen renovation,\u201d Elder Care Services CEO Jocelyne Fliger said. \u201cWe will be expanding our kitchen footprint and renovating a space that has not been renovated in a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConstructionConstruction on a new 1,000 foot kitchen expansion at Elder Care Services should be complete in Spring of 2027.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

The 1,000-foot expansion will not only add space, but also a better layout, new equipment, and, most importantly, the potential to make hundreds more meals a day. <\/p>\n

Fliger said they\u2019re hoping it can significantly reduce the current Meals on Wheels waiting list. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt one time it was over 500 and we\u2019ve been trying to chip away at that and we\u2019re hoping that with this expanded footprint we\u2019ll be able to reduce it even further,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Meals on Wheels deliveries will continue uninterrupted during construction thanks to Lively Technical College just down the street. <\/p>\n

\"LivelyLively Technical College is sharing its commercial kitchen while construction at Elder Care Services is underway.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

Lively\u2019s culinary program is sharing its commercial kitchen while construction is underway, starting the first week in November. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just to help. Really just to help the community. We have the opportunity. We have the space,\u201d Lively Culinary Instructor Charles DiBella said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are happy and honored to support this,\u201d said Lively Technical College Director BJ Van Camp. \u201cThey will prepare all their meals and food, but hopefully our students will be able to see another opportunity in the industry to be employed and to give back locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction of the new kitchen at Elder Care Services is expected to be complete next spring.<\/p>\n

\"MealsMeals on Wheels deliveries will continue without interruption during construction.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

Seniors who count on Meals on Wheels in the meantime will continue to receive daily deliveries of food and friendship.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how badly do they need this assistance? More than you know, more than you know,\u201d said Meals on Wheels volunteer Kim Hinckley. \u201cFor some of them it\u2019s the only meal they get in a day, so it\u2019s a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The renovations are expected to cost $1.2 million. Most of it, $990,000, was appropriated by the Florida legislature last year, but Elder Care Services is still working to raise the rest through donations. <\/p>\n

\"ElderElder Care Services’ offices will remain open during construction.(WCTV)<\/p>\n

While Meals on Wheels operations are moving temporarily, Elder Care Services\u2019 offices will remain open during construction to serve clients at the West Tennessee Street location. <\/p>\n

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