JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 As grocery and fuel prices rise, a University of North Florida program is helping Jacksonville seniors put healthy meals on the table for free.<\/p>\n
Meals on Wings, created in 2019 through UNF\u2019s College of Health, has recently reached a major milestone, providing and delivering 250,000 free meals in Duval County. <\/p>\n
The program serves 300 seniors identified through community centers, with student volunteers delivering meals three times a week.<\/p>\n
For Catherine King, getting groceries can take a lot of effort. <\/p>\n
She walks to the bus stop and takes public transportation to the grocery store. Without a car, she can usually buy only what she can carry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be able to buy a lot. I could only buy for, like, a couple of days,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n
Meals on Wings delivers food to King and other seniors at the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center on Kings Road. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a supplement,\u201d explained Marie Heath, the center\u2019s director. \u201cThey get to save the money they normally would have to spend on food, and it\u2019s right there for them to pop into the microwave.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a recent delivery, Meals on Wings\u2019 Advisory Chef, Meghan Niemczyk, and a student volunteer delivered 120 meals for 30 seniors. <\/p>\n
UNF students package the meals using food donated by local hospitals. <\/p>\n
\u201cOften hospitals will offer on their menu chicken and rice today or meatloaf and mashed potatoes. If more people ordered meatloaf and mashed potatoes, they have more chicken and rice so they save it for us,\u201d explained Niemczyk. <\/p>\n
Instead of discarding the extra meals, the hospitals donate the food to Meals on Wings. <\/p>\n
Volunteers pick it up and divide it into meals at UNF\u2019s Meals on Wings kitchen. <\/p>\n
Mildred Flagg said the meals have helped her make healthier choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the vegetables they have\u2014the broccoli, the string beans, and the chicken,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She loves that the meals also support the health goals she discusses with others at the center, including managing blood pressure and A1C levels.<\/p>\n
Cooking classes led by Niemczyk have also encouraged King to try new foods and cooking methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to not like quinoa, so I like it now,\u201d King said. \u201cI used to not like asparagus, so I like it now…and I also learned that I don\u2019t need to have salt in my food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niemczyk hopes to build on the program\u2019s work at the Schell-Sweet Community Center by creating a community kitchen at UNF where people can take cooking classes and learn how to eat healthier.<\/p>\n