Home lunch delivery is vital to local seniors

When the COVID pandemic closed the Haines’ Senior Center, the lunch program turned into a daily delivery. As KHNS’ Corinne Smith reports, it’s become a vital service for local seniors in Haines and Klukwan, and there’s room for expansion.

The Haines Senior Center is still closed, due to the COVID pandemic. But each morning, meals are prepared there by a dedicated staff with Southeast Senior Services, packed in insulated bags, and loaded onto one delivery van.

Paul Graf is one half of the friendly duo who deliver lunch Monday through Thursday. Graf does the driving.

“Every day I go Norm, are you ready? And every day he laughs.”

Norm is Norm Smith. He’s the one who walks to people’s front door with a greeting and a delivery. 

Today it’s a meat casserole, broccoli, a home-made bread roll, with a fresh fruit cup and milk. Because it’s Thursday, there’s also a sandwich for Friday when there’s no meal delivery.

“There you go. Well thank you.”

The first stop is one block away at the Haines Senior Living apartment complex. Marilyn Allen has a wide smile, and is ready right at noon at her door:

“It’s always good, that’s what I like about it. (And) you know you can depend on it being here.”

Graf and Smith will deliver over a 100 meals today, to roughly 52 households. If people aren’t home, they never leave meals outside, or risk theft.

“The birds know the lunch…we’ve walked 10 feet from the house and the birds are on it.”

Is that the crows or the eagles?

“Magpies!”

Usually the rounds will take between two to three hours each afternoon, visiting homes throughout the Haines townsite. Graf also drives seniors for morning errands: the clinic, bank, post office, or grocery store. 

The program costs about $22,000 per month, and is funded by state and federal grants, the Haines Borough, and a large part through a grant partnership with the Chilkoot Indian Association. 

They also deliver once a week on Thursdays, 20 miles up the Haines Highway to Klukwan. 

“Thursday is a long day,” Smith said. “Sometimes we don’t get back til 4, or 4:20 p.m.”

That’s for about six meal deliveries in Klukwan. But Carloline Hankins, the site manager of the Haines Senior Center, says they have capacity for more if people sign up. Everyone 60 years old and over is eligible throughout Klukwan and the Haines townsite. 

“It’s a four dollar suggested donation per meal but we won’t turn anyone away. You’re more than welcome to sign up,” Hankin said.

She says they’re working to make sure income or transportation to the grocery store is not a barrier. 

“It is challenging. I’ve been told that there’s people that the only food they eat is the one we deliver,” Hainkin said. “So that’s one of the reasons, with the help from the borough, we started providing that second meal on Thursdays so that everyone has one for Friday. It is heartbreaking to hear (about) people that might not be able to eat without us, and it just shows how important our service is.”

Southeast Senior Services also accepts food donations. They’ll incorporate fresh produce or berries donated from residents’ gardens, or seasonal products from fishermen and hunters.

“We get a lot of salmon from fishermen, thank you. And we take moose meat. We try to incorporate that into all of our meals,” Hankin said. “It’s really awesome when we have a stock-full freezer so that we can feed the seniors throughout the winter.”

Meals are available for everyone in Haines and Klukwan aged 60 and older Monday through Thursday. Call 766-2383 to schedule a meal or transportation. 

 

Note: Norm Smith and Caroline Hankins are also volunteer DJs on KHNS – Smith hosts Backcountry then Hankins host Flashbacks and Freshtracks on Wednesday afternoons.