Dorchester Seniors, Inc, a non-profit organization based in Summerville and St. George, has been working through the COVID-19 pandemic, providing meals to seniors across Dorchester County. From March to May, Dorchester Seniors has distributed 28,271 meals.
Dorchester Seniors prepares all meals within the Summerville location and distributes them out at both centers via the home delivered meal program. Monday through Friday each week, seniors receive a hot nutritious meal, 1/3 RDA approved, and two additional meals for the weekend. Currently, Dorchester Seniors has multiple routes delivering meals in Summerville and St. George. “Having the ability to provide interaction through isolation and assist seniors with basic needs such as toiletry items, nonperishables, and paper products through the pandemic has been rewarding” stated Jean K. Ott, Executive Director.
Through closings due to social distancing and quarantine, Dorchester Seniors has followed CDC guidelines on contactless deliveries for seniors at home. Partnering with LowCountry Food Bank, Joy Campbell and IServeWithJoy, and Trident Area on Aging, Dorchester Seniors has been able to provide commodity boxes, cereal, and nutritional education to seniors while they are safe at home. “The greatest of all things,” says Ott, “is our dedicated volunteers, who have assisted with packing meals and delivering them in the community during this time.”
Remaining precautious, the Summerville location has opened to limited public for wellness and fitness classes. These classes are practicing social distancing and must be enrolled through the 50+ Fit program. With group dining not being available, Dorchester Seniors is still providing meals to seniors through their homebound meal program weekly and are always looking for volunteers. If you would like to volunteer in the Summerville or St. George area, please call (843) 871-5053.
Due to the amount of seniors being served during this pandemic, anyone can donate items to Dorchester Seniors through Amazon Smile and their website wish list at
www.dorchesterseniors.com.