Katie Winters, left, and Emma Hostetler serve lunch at the Bob Chisholm Community Center for the Seaside Senior Meal Program.

Volunteers with the Seaside senior meal program possess a variety of reasons for their service.

“I needed something else to do to stay out of trouble,” 83-year-old Emma Hostetler said.

Katie Winters was looking for a volunteer opportunity with Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District in exchange for a scholarship, as well as a way “to be beneficial or uplifting to society.”

“We feel we have a duty to give back to the community, and this is our way of doing it,” Bob Ball said, who has been volunteering with his wife, Jan Ball, for about seven years.

These are just a few members of the vital volunteer force behind the program — and they’re always looking for newcomers to help support and expand services.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, seniors can visit the Bob Chisholm Community Center for lunch at no cost, although a $3 donation is recommended.

“We’re not here to fundraise,” nutrition coordinator Chris Duffy said. “We’re here to get you a good meal.”

The senior meal program in Seaside is offered through NorthWest Senior and Disability Services, which offers an array of services for older adults and individuals with disabilities in Clatsop County.

According to a news release from NorthWest Senior and Disabilities Services, more than 100,000 meals have been served to older adults via the Seaside senior meal program since 2017. That includes approximately 20,000 lunches in 2022.

This year, Duffy said, “we hope to surpass that with adding in dine-in services.”

The dine-in services at the community center were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in January. However, the program’s curbside lunch option, which was initiated during the pandemic, continues to operate.

It’s a popular option for people with health concerns or those who want to pick up meals for multiple elderly family members.

Taking meals on the road

Program volunteers also make residential deliveries on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to individuals from Surf Pines down to Cannon Beach. Recipients receive both a meal for the day and frozen meals to heat up later.

Jan Ball and Bob Ball make their deliveries on Wednesdays. After moving to Seaside in 2015 from Colorado, they were seeking a way to get involved in the community. In Colorado, the Balls were instrumental in starting a local Meals on Wheels program.

“It makes you feel good that you can contribute a little,” Bob Ball said, adding it also reaffirms his gratitude for his own physical and mental health.

The couple makes about a dozen stops during their run. Sometimes they deliver meals to multiple people in a single dwelling. Besides the joy of getting to volunteer together, they’ve also built relationships with different clients and can check in on them.

“A lot of socialization goes on,” Bob Ball said.

Eventually, the senior meal program would like to offer dine-in services on Fridays, but it’s dependent on volunteers from the community, Duffy said. Volunteers are asked to commit to serving three hours per week. He is hopeful the program will be open up to five days per week by the spring.

Ideally, they need five volunteers per day to assist with the various services. Duffy hopes to find a volunteer who can make a visit to the Clatsop Community Action Regional Food Bank and bring back fresh produce to offer to diners at no cost. They would be able take it home with them for the week.

“It’s a nice bonus to have,” Duffy said.

So far, the program has seen relatively low attendance for dine-in services, as individuals gradually become aware the option is available again. On average, the program gets about 10 people per day, compared to about 20 to 25 pre-shutdown. Duffy encourages seniors in the area to stop in.

“They’re going to get a great meal with real good company,” he said.