'More than a meal' — 100 Men Who Cook to benefit local Meals on Wheels program

“Meals on Wheels has always been our signature program and this fundraiser will help us continue to offer this vital service to the homebound individuals in this area.”

Becoming the beneficiary of 100 Men Who Cook, which takes place Saturday, is a big deal for Meals on Wheels because the local program has been ensnared in a funding crunch that became especially severe last winter and hasn't abated much since.

Holscher explained that the financial woes were the result of census data that showed there are fewer people living in counties served by Meals on Wheels, so the program got less federal funding — despite the fact that the number of residents needing help was on the upswing.

Meals on Wheels was also one of many programs impacted by sequestration; Congress has withheld federal funding for certain programs as part of an effort to reduce the budget deficit.

All that sounds bureaucratic, but what it boils down to is this: Staff running the local Meals on Wheels program have been left trying to serve more people with the same amount of money.

Meals on Wheels provides basic, balanced nutrition and care checks that enable older adults and those with disabilities to remain independent in their own homes.

Though there have been no additional funding cuts in recent months, Holscher noted that they don't have their final budget for this year.

Regardless, staff running the program have still been forced to make some adjustments that have impacted thousands of residents of Knox, Daviess, Greene, Martin, Pike and Dubois counties, which are all served by the program.

“We did make some changes, such as moving some of our service areas from hot meals to frozen,” Holscher said. “This is not an ideal situation.”

That's because for some of the more isolated Meals on Wheels clients, the meal driver who delivered their food may have been the only person they saw all week.

“The service for them was more than a meal,” Holscher said. “It was also a care check.”

By reducing expenses down to a minimum, staff have avoided putting a wait list in place and hope that they can continue to avoid that now with the association with 100 Men Who Cook.

“We are hoping the money raised from (the fundraiser) will prevent that,” Holscher said.

She also added that staff are on the lookout for local partners such as nursing homes and senior centers to help them provide daily hot meals.

“If we can partner with a nursing home in a rural area to provide daily hot meals to individuals who live nearby, then we can reduce our delivery cost even more and still make sure folks are getting a meal and much-needed care check,” Holscher said.

THE FUNDRAISER

100 Men Who Cook, presented by ONB in partnership with Duke Energy, Old National Bank Vincennes Community Board, Good Samaritan Hospital and Vincennes University, made its inaugural local appearance in 2014. It's part of a corporate initiative for Old National and the first year it's been held in Vincennes.

Doors open 6 p.m. Saturday at VU's Robert E. Green Activities Center, 120 W. Harrison St., and will feature 100 local “chefs” who will prepare their best dishes for attendees to sample and enjoy.

Attendees can give cash tips to whichever culinary wizard they feel has created the most worthy fare and the chef holding the most tips at the end of the evening will be declared the winner of the “Golden Spatula.”

“We'll have all kinds of food,” said Helen Seirp, Vincennes region president of Old National Bank. “We've got everything from barbecue ribs to soup to dessert to dips to cookies — you name it.

“It's quite an array of food.”

The event will also include a silent auction featuring everything from a Colorado vacation package to a Yeti cooler to YMCA memberships.

And all proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels, which Seirp said is a very needed resource in local communities.

“It just was a good fit for what we looked for,” Seirp said. “They're to the point where they're going to have to reduce their outreach, and sometimes the only contact those individuals have on any given day is (their meal delivery). And that's the only healthy meal they get.”

Individual tickets are $60 and include an unlimited sampling of the chefs' dishes.

To purchase tickets, call Mitchell Bahr at 812-885-8054 or Brian Rainey at 812-257-3046.

Holscher noted that folks should consider attending the event because it's an opportunity for them to do their part to “create a community where seniors can live at home for as long as possible.

“By supporting this event, they help ensure that seniors will get the nutrition they need to live independently,” she said. “Chances are they know someone who benefitted from Meals on Wheels in the past or may need this service in the near future — a parent, a neighbor or a friend.

“We just want to be sure that we can meet those needs in the future and community support is crucial to our success.

Seirp echoed those thoughts and also stressed that the opportunity to support Meals on Wheels is the primary reason why people should attend.

But guests can also rest assured that they'll enjoy the evening, too.

“It's just a fun event,” Seirp said. “I guarantee you'll have a good time.”

Guests must be 21 or older to attend.

For more information, visit http://vincennes100menwhocook.com/.