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Home Bound Meals Continue

Home Bound Meals Continue

April 3rd, 2020

The COVID-19 virus has changed the way we do many things in our local community, but one thing it has not changed is the Home Bound Meal program provided by Pana Community Hospital.  The Pana Community Hospital Home Bound Meals Program has been preparing and delivering hot meals to the people in the Pana service area for over 35 years and even through this crisis, meals continue arriving on the doorsteps of many.   

“It is vital that our home bound customers continue to receive meals.  In order to make this happen, we had to change a few things with our delivery process,” stated Stephanie Carrell Pana Community Hospital Nutritional Services Manager.  Typically, the daily meals are delivered by a dedicated group of volunteers however due to the COVID-19 crisis; the meals are now being delivered by the Pana Community Hospital staff to allow the volunteers to stay safely at home. Nutritional Services provides an insulated bag to place the individual’s meal in.  The bag is left on the individuals’ porch or hanging on their door knob.  They can then retrieve the bag at their discretion.  Some meal recipients choose to leave a cooler on the front porch in which the delivery staff places the meal.  This process assures safety for the meal recipient as well as the delivery staff.

During this new process, the hospital has come to realize more than before the true value of the volunteer staff that had dedicated themselves to providing this service to our community every single day throughout the year.  “Delivering meals takes place 7 days a week, rain or shine and even on holidays.  We had such a dedicated group of volunteers that delivered meals for us and we miss them terribly,” stated Carrell.  Although the volunteers have been asked to stay home for now, the hospital will bring them back as soon as it is safe to do so.  “For now, our employees from all different departments are pitching in to help fulfill this vital service.”    

For more information regarding PCH Home Bound Meal Program, call 217-562-6323 Stephanie Carrell. 

Caption:  Stacy Campbell, Surgical Nurse and Carol Chandler, Business Development Director load the Home Bound meals into the hospital van.