RUMFORD — Thirty-seven senior citizens received home-cooked meals last week through a partnership of six organizations.

Eight volunteers prepared the food and delivered it Jan. 5.

Allie Burke, executive director of the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition, said the coalition partnered with the church to make this effort possible, along with money and support from other organizations.

“We received a donation of cans of food and we asked the Holy Savior Church if they could help create some warm meals from this for seniors,” Burke said.

Supporting organizations include:

• Poland Spring Community Benefit Fund, whose mission is to accept and invest donations from Nestle Waters, the parent company of Poland Spring Water Co. per a written agreement with the town. The interest from investments fund community projects that benefit Rumford, such as but not limited to source water protection, health and welfare and recreation.

• Maine West, a partnership of local and regional organizations dedicated to addressing systemic rural challenges and enhancing community well-being in Western Maine.

• The Betterment Fund, established by the will of William Bingham II to make grants exclusively to benefit Maine residents and to give top consideration to projects in the Western Mountains region because of Bingham’s lifelong dedication to the area.

• Catholic Charities of Maine, which brings help and hope to Maine’s most vulnerable men, women and children regardless of faiths.

Thelma Giberson said the menu included chicken soup, American chop suey, biscuits and fruit cocktail.

Burke said they were working from a list of names for past food distributions. “It’s a warm meal in winter. We want our seniors to be happy.”

She noted, “This is also a great way for us to check on our seniors. How are you doing? Do you need anything else? Is there anybody else that they know of who might need food?”

Also volunteering were Melissa Harding from Healthy Communities Coalition, and church members Bill and Bev Gallant, Arthur Rouleau, Debbie Murphy and Peter Cox.

“We hope to do more of them, once the word gets out that we’re doing it,” Cox said.

Burke said, “It’s really up to the volunteers, who prepare the food at the church.”

She asked that “if anybody out there wants to help us or wants to donate,” they can contact her at (207) 364-7408 or www.rvhcc.org

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