Baking away the loneliness

Senior center makes 200 apple pies for members

MILFORD — Senior citizens who are feeling isolated on Thanksgiving due to the pandemic got a reminder that they remain in the community’s thoughts this week. Milford Senior Center delivery drivers distributed 200 hand-made apple pies to its members, many of whom will be spending the holiday alone.

“Through the wellness calls that we make to our members, the seniors tell how us how isolated and lonely they are,” said Wendy Ferraro, the center’s kitchen supervisor. “For some of them, our deliverers are the only people they see, so we wanted them to know, especially now, that’s we’re thinking about

them. We try to keep in touch with them as much as possible.”

In response to the concerns about loneliness among the seniors that have to remain isolated, Ferraro and Leonora Rodriguez, the center’s executive director, decided to do something special when preparing this year’s annual Thanksgiving meal. The women, along with several members of the kitchen staff, baked the 4-inch pies for everyone that signed up to receive one of the center’s Thanksgiving meals.

Planning for the pie project began weeks ago, Ferraro said.

“We ordered all the supplies, which took a little time to get here, and then we started baking,” Ferraro said.

It took about two days to make all the pies. They were delivered to Milford seniors along with the traditional meal that the center distributes to its members. The Thanksgiving dinner the center prepared includes sliced turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry gravy and mixed vegetables.

The pies were a surprise, according to Ferraro.

“I like to give them a little treat during the holidays,” she said. “We would usually buy fresh pies and cut them up, but I thought it was a nice idea to make them little individual pies.”

While many desserts are donated to the center by local supermarkets, Ferraro said the center staff likes to do something pecial whenever it can to help ensure members have a nice meal for Thanksgiving.

Currently, the center is not open for in-house dining. However, the staff prepares two meals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and between delivery and pick-up, it serves approximately 165 people. While all food and services are free, donations are accepted.

The center, at 9 Jepson Drive, currently has very few programs open, and they’re all by appointment only. But the staff continues to make wellness caclls, and to try to reach out to the members who may be experiencing isolation during the pandemic.

Ferraro is already planning the next holiday project: Baking plates of Christmas cookies to distribute with meals.

“I don’t know how many of them are going to get out and see family members, so they might not get the plate of cookies,” she said.

But if they can’t bring home a plate of cookies from their family holiday gatherings, they can have the next best thing, she said.

“We make everything here with love,” she said.