Meals-on-Wheels continues through pandemic thanks to community support
Although confronted with mounting limitations due to the pandemic, LifeCare Alliance continues to successfully provide a multitude of services to homebound seniors and people with medical challenges. In fact, the agency proudly serves the growing needs without a waiting list, something many agencies across the country are not able to do.
In addition to health and wellness programs, LifeCare serves thousands of meals each day through their Meals-on-Wheels program in Franklin, Madison, Marion, Champaign and Logan counties. The program relies on the help of volunteers and the financial generosity of municipal, corporate and community sponsors to successfully provide services.
LifeCare Alliance’s Director of Volunteers Pauli Tice (now retired) and President & CEO Chuck Gehring accept a $12,000 donation from the City of Grove City by Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage during the 2019 Evans Center Christmas Lunch.
In March, COVID-19 concerns required congregate dining locations to temporarily close. That included Grove City’s Evans Center, leaving nearly 60 individuals in danger of going without the meals provided by Meals-on-Wheels. All nutritional services transitioned to home delivery, resulting in a substantial number of additional deliveries per day.
The army of volunteers quickly grew to meet the ever-changing needs of our neighbors so LifeCare Alliance could continue to serve without delay. In August, they added “On-the-go Meals” as an option for senior nutrition services.
Boxed meals are prepared and individuals drive through locations like the Evans Center to pick up meals, contact-free. I’ve witnessed some of the distribution days and it’s easy to see that not only do the events provide nutrition services for the seniors, they also provide much-needed community connection and fellowship.
Although the new On-the-go Meals have proven to be widely beneficial, it has created growing unbudgeted expenses for LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels program — something no one could have planned for.
Grove City has a long history of supporting LifeCare Alliance and the Meals-on-Wheels program through volunteerism, corporate sponsorships and annual fundraising events such as the Mayor’s Cup Golf Outing.
To bolster those efforts through the pandemic, a resolution submitted by Administration and passed by City Council in September, authorized a portion of Grove City’s local Coronavirus Relief Funds to be distributed to LifeCare Alliance to assist in funding the new On-the-go Meals for seniors. The $25,000 distribution will provide more than 3,570 meals. On-the-go Meals are currently provided at the Evans Center every other week, where volunteers are distributing an average of 100 meals each occasion.
My sincere appreciation to the many residents and businesses who volunteer to deliver Meals-on-Wheels. It is a welcome responsibility and a pleasure to continue supporting the growing efforts of LifeCare Alliance.
Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage
Council Briefs: Making the Difficult Call
The City of Grove City and Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce have spent considerable time in 2020 artfully balancing the availability and scheduling of the City’s most anticipated annual events and activities.
The Chamber designed a fantastic virtual Arts in the Alley event – Arts in the Alley, Home Edition! The week-long celebration begins with neighborhood pocket parades – a nod to the community parade that traditionally kicks off the event. Local artists and vendors are grateful the event has not been canceled and thrilled with the opportunity to sell goods and share their art.
Find details about the virtual Arts in the Alley, Home Edition online at www.gcchamber.org. This year you won’t be able to smell the corn dogs or get sticky from cotton candy, but next year we hope to have all the arts back in the alley.
The Parks and Recreation Department worked diligently to offer activities and engage with the community safely in lieu of traditional events and activities. By the end of summer, the department was able to offer classes such as dance, outdoor nature exploration and craft classes as well as youth baseball and adult softball.
We’ve also found a creative way to continue sharing the work of local artists whose exhibits can normally be seen hanging in City Hall. With the building closed to the public, we established the Virtual Art Concern, which can be found online at: www.grovecityohio.gov/city-council/the-art-concern/. We will continue to provide an outlet for our local artists to display and share their work with our community.
Also adapting to the changes, City Council meetings went virtual in March, making it necessary for us all to learn the art of online meetings. Council and City Administration have been busy the past few months working on the 2021 budget. We watch our funds closely and continue to be diligent with public dollars. The City finances have been affected by the pandemic, but we are steadfast in continuing to provide quality service to our residents and to keep Grove City moving forward.
I’m excited about our progress with sustainability. Council and Administration are working on electric aggregation for Grove City, supporting renewable, clean energy generation for the future.
As the holidays approach, they will certainly be celebrated differently. Please remember your local, small businesses this season as we all cope with the changes the pandemic has given us. One bright spot is we can spend more time with our families during the holiday season and that certainly is a gift to be thankful for.
Randy Holt
Council Member, Ward 2
Dunagan, Sheri
John T. Ward not only delivered supplies – in the 1840s he acted as a conductor for the Underground Railroad, providing safe passage for those seeking freedom from slavery.
Did You Know?
Grove City is home to America’s oldest, continuously operating Black-owned business — E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co.
Born a free Black man in 1820 in Richmond, Virginia, John T. Ward and his wife, Catherine, built their home on 16 acres of land in the area now known as Whitehall in 1838. John farmed his land and worked as a clerk in a Columbus hardware store. His business gained its roots during the Civil War when he earned contracts hauling supplies and equipment for the military, using two horses and a wagon.
In 1881, John and his son, William, established the Ward Transfer Line. Storage services were added to their offerings and in 1889 the business was renamed E.E. Ward Transfer and Storage Company, after John’s grandson, Edgar Earl Ward, who was then running the business.
The last horse-powered moving team was retired in 1921 when the company began using motor vehicles. By 1925 more commercial clients were using the company’s services, including Steinway Piano Company for which the Wards transported nearly 900,000 pianos.
John’s great-grandson, Eldon Ward, joined the family business in 1945 becoming the last Ward family member to own the company. Having no children of his own to pass the company to, Eldon’s niece, Delores Smith-White, managed the business after he retired in 1996.
She considered selling as she approached her own retirement. However, feeling strongly about maintaining the long business legacy, Eldon’s godson, Brian Brooks, purchased the firm.
Today Brooks and his wife Dominique are co-owners of E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co., who relocated the business to Grove City in 2016.
Development – The Art of Planning for a Growing Community
In many ways, planning for the future of a growing community such as Grove City is an art. Sometimes planning is done on a large scale, like painting with a paint roller, and sometimes we plan at a very detailed level, like drawing with a fine-tip marker.
The GroveCity2050 Community Plan allows us to view our community at a high level by setting general goals and principles for growth. Future roadways were sketched on maps based on desired land uses and scales of development from resident input and market studies. From these high-level plans, we further define our vision for certain areas as development opportunities present themselves.
Sometimes, like a blank canvas, we are presented with an opportunity to plan for a new area or corridor of the City. Buckeye Parkway started as just a line on a map 20 years ago before there was a Parkway Centre, Pinnacle Club or Meadow Grove Estates. City leaders recognized the need for an additional roadway connection as growth continued east of Interstate 71, and today Buckeye Parkway is a primary north-south connector.
This same strategy is being used for a new corridor in the southwest area of the community. Although past transportation planning maps have shown future roads through this area, the City recently partnered with OHM Advisors to move past high-level, “paint-roller” ideas into a more defined vision.
The Southwest Area Corridor Study will examine the area south of Orders Road and north of State Route 665 between U.S. Route 62 and I-71 from a detailed perspective regarding land use, transportation and economics. Like the areas around Buckeye Parkway, development surrounding these future roadways will present new opportunities for the community.
Unlike Buckeye Parkway, which is primarily utilized to access residential areas, the roadways through the southwest corridor will provide access to new commerce opportunities, opening a new economic future for Grove City. The City hopes to leverage the area’s I-71 highway frontage and area utilities to expand on the growing demand for medical offices and offer additional development opportunities. Whether examining the community at a city-wide level or looking at a specific block or portion of roadway, planning will continue to be a careful balance of technical analyses and community input. And hopefully 20 years from now, the roadways sketched on transportation planning maps will provide access to new and exciting opportunities for Grove City residents and future wage earners.
Kyle Rauch is the Development Director for the City of Grove City.
