Community steps up for 100 Meals initiative
Program held at various locations in town; last scheduled day for this season is March 17
It’s the third year for Yarmouth’s 100 Meals program and Mayor Pam Mood says it’s great to see the initiative is still getting a great response and solid support.
“The community has stepped up once again,” the mayor said. “Our organizations, local businesses, individuals are setting up teams to provide the meals, which includes everything from the menu to cooking, shopping, cleanup, all those pieces.”
The program’s third edition began in December, the idea again being to provide a free community meal every day for 100 days. The last scheduled day for this year’s program is March 17.
Mood says it’s wonderful to see people doing their part to help out – whether by assisting with meals or making a donation – and she hopes it will continue.
“We can always use more volunteers and we can certainly always use more funding in the pot to ensure this is successful, because it is free,” she said. “Everything is provided through the donations.”
The meals are held at various locations. Some days the program consists of a breakfast, other days are lunch or supper.
Mood attends some of the meals and has heard what people have to say about the 100 Meals initiative.
“Folks are loving it,” she said. “They’re excited. Some places provide music. You know, there’s just something for everyone and I can’t stress enough this is simply a community builder. It’s not for one group or another. It’s for everyone that wants to come out.”
Of course, given the time of year, the meal-a-day schedule can be disrupted if there’s a storm or if road conditions are bad, although this hasn’t been much of a factor so far, the mayor said.
“I think there were one or two days that the weather affected us,” she said on Jan. 27, “and again it’s about the volunteers. Many of the volunteers come from outside of town. We don’t want them on the roads if it’s dangerous.”