SUNDERLAND — More than 130 free meals were delivered to seniors and other community members on Monday evening, thanks to the efforts of the Sunderland Woman’s Club.
“We were trying to figure out what was the best way to help out Sunderland as a community,” said Amanda Hanley, chair of the club’s Community Service Committee. “Andrea (Moroney), who is the owner of Bub’s (BBQ on Amherst Road), had this idea and we all kind of fell in love with it.”
The idea was to reach out to the community, see who would be interested in receiving a hot meal and deliver those meals to anyone who expressed an interest.
“When one of the members was trying to figure out how we would directly impact our community, I offered up our kitchen,” Moroney explained. “Everyone at the Woman’s Club came together. It was pretty cool.”
So on Monday and in the days leading up to it, Moroney and Hanley prepared the meals — which included lasagne, garlic bread, salad, a brownie and a candy cane — in the kitchen of Bub’s BBQ.
According to Hanley, there were nine volunteer drivers; one volunteer who coordinated bringing bags to the correct drivers; and two high school seniors who helped portion out salads in advance. Moroney’s two daughters also offered a helping hand, making sure each box of food included a candy cane.
Ultimately, volunteers cooked and delivered a total of 136 meals.
“Everyone’s kind of pitching in, even if they didn’t feel comfortable making the meals or delivering the meals,” Hanley noted.
Other members of the Sunderland Woman’s Club contributed in other ways, such as writing notes to each of the recipients of the meals.
“One of the things Andrea and I keep talking about is how (delivering meals) really speaks to the roots of woman’s clubs and why they were started,” Hanley explained, “not only to be a social place for women to gather … it’s also a place where the women in the community can figure out how to serve their community best.”
Monday’s meal delivery was the second to take place, she said, the first of which was carried out shortly before Thanksgiving. The plan is to continue the program through the cold winter months.
“Any money we collect through this process is going back into the meals, so hopefully we can fund a couple more,” Hanley said. “We’re trying to do at least one per month.”
The meals are free, she said, though any donations that are collected go back into the fund for the meal program. Anyone who wishes to donate should reach out to Hanley at amandahanleySWC@gmail.com, and anyone who wants to be added to the list to receive a meal should contact Moroney at 413-336-4484.
“It’s just kind of a nice way … for us to go back to our roots,” Hanley said, “and serve our community in this time.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne