Pre-order early for annual Massena Meals on Wheels spaghetti dinner fundraiser

Bob Beckstead, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

Sep. 19—MASSENA — Massena Meals on Wheels has a deal coming up on Oct. 1 — enjoy a spaghetti dinner and, in return, help out their program, which in turn helps out their clients.

Like last year, this year's spaghetti fundraiser, part of Meals on Wheels Day, will be take-out only. It will include a take-out lunch options, as well as the usual dinner time option. Meals will be distributed from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The cost is $8 per meal for spaghetti and meatballs with sauce, prepared with a recipe that was used by Cathy and Shawna Cecot at the former Village Inn restaurant. Also included in the meal are tossed salad, Italian bread and a gourmet cupcake.

Last year's meal sold out and, because of its popularity, Massena Meals on Wheels officials suggest pre-ordering by calling 315-769-5083 and specifying a preferred time for pick up. Orders will be packaged for curbside pick up.

In addition to the spaghetti meal, volunteers will be on East Hatfield Street near the Meals on Wheels building from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. collecting donations for their "$tock the Pot" drive-through fundraiser. Passers-by are encouraged to make a donation with dollars, spare change or even checks and credit or debit cards.

As part of the "$Stock the Pot" fundraiser, the Northern New York Community Foundation has put up a challenge — they will match up to $2,500 if that amount is raised before noon on Oct. 1.

Because of the ongoing pandemic, an annual radio telethon will not be held again for the second consecutive year.

Fundraisers like the spaghetti dinner and "$tock the Pot" are critical for Meals on Wheels, a private nonprofit agency. They deliver nutritious meals to elderly, home bound, sick and handicapped individuals in the greater Massena area. Those individuals are able to maintain their independence by receiving home-delivered meals five days a week from volunteers, who not only deliver the meals, but also make daily contact with the clients on their routes. In some cases, the volunteer delivering the meal is the only person the recipient sees during the day.

The agency receives some funding from public entities such as the village of Massena and the St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging. But, with its large number of clients, money from public agencies doesn't support Meals on Wheels throughout the entire year. If they don't make up the difference in their budget, they can't provide the service, making the fundraisers more critical.