Can you imagine cooking 700 meals, all in one morning?
An organization in Blair County does just that with locally sourced foods.
It’s a crew of five that wakes up hours before the sun starts shining to prep, prepare and pack meals for senior citizens across Blair County.
What they’re the most proud of? Using fresh ingredients from local businesses in this region.
“We were just joking about making spaghetti for 700 people I said I mess up every time I make it for my family of 4,” joked Bryan Crawford.
Each morning Bryan Crawford and Kathleen Holmberg turn on the ovens, ready to make 700 lunches for Meals on Wheels Blair County.
The team prides themselves on home cooking for those who are homebound.
“All of our stuff is made from scratch, the gravy made from scratch and then we do the meat the potatoes,” explained Holmberg.
Each dish is pulled from the ovens, gets quality check, then ready for packing.
“It’s an assembly line we just go right down the line,one, two, three put in the machine, seal it up, it goes straight into a bag,” said Crawford.
Blair Senior Services decided to man their own kitchen three years ago to ensure consumers get the most nutritious food possible.
“We would purchase all the food, prepare it deliver it, it kind of gave us complete control of the whole process,” said Production Kitchen Supervisor, Laura Ford.
Fresh not frozen food made for people in Blair County by those who love Blair County.
“We try to buy all of our food locally and of course all of our staff are local they all live here in the Altoona Area,” Ford said.
Holmberg says she’s proud to prepare a healthy meal for those who really need it. Many of her family members take advantage of the service.
“I think it’s very important for the senior citizens to have a good heart healthy meal you know what i mean, from fresh too. They’re getting a hot fresh meal everyday and i think they appreciate that. It’s very important that they’re not getting a frozen meal.”
Once sealed and packed, the meals are then off to delivery.
