by Ciara Parizek/MDN LEFT: From left to right, Cindy Heintz, Dorothy Slaubaugh, Mary Schneider and volunteer Leonard Schmaltz work together May 22 to make sure that the seniors receive food from their Meals on Wheels program in Rugby.

Senior citizens in small towns used to partake in activities and meals at their local community centers. However, the centers have been closed for months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

People 65 years or older or those who have underlying health conditions are more susceptible to being infected by the virus, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website. To stop the spread of the coronavirus, the community centers in smaller towns have been shut down.

Jim Davenport of the Deering Senior Citizens said the only thing they have been able to do for the seniors in Deering is Meals on Wheels through the Country Store & Cafe.

“We want to help them maintain nutrition. The cafe also gets business,” he said.

The Meals on Wheels program in Deering was established by the Minot Commission on Aging, running four days a week before the pandemic. Now it goes around Deering only on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The available menus have a variety of different lunches and treats to choose from.

“They can order as many meals as they want and get the nutrition they need,” Davenport said.

Senior meals four days a week were also available through Meals on Wheels, but then the cafe shut down due to imposed guidelines that don’t allow eating within the establishment. Moving to doing Meals on Wheels allows the cafe to stay alive, lowering the chances that it will have to close permanently.

On May 22, Shelley Wintermute, the owner of the Deering cafe, and Teri Nelson, a longtime employee, were preparing quite the feast for the seniors.

The meal they were making was on the menu the Minot Commission on Aging sent them. It included roast pork, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans and dinner rolls, with strawberry shortcake for dessert.

More than 100 lunches for May 22 were paid for by SRT.

The cafe staff prefer to have orders requested at least 24 hours ahead, so they know how much food they have to prepare for the next day.

All of the senior meals are delivered within Deering and to those who live within five miles of Deering. If someone would rather pick up their order curbside, they have that option.

Nelson said the cafe is planning to continue its Meals on Wheels program through June, hoping they can open back up again by July 7. If citizens in and around Deering are still uncomfortable with entering the building to eat, the Country Store & Cafe will still deliver to them.

The cafe will be posting the menus on Facebook, and those who are interested can call Wintermute at 701-833-4317 or Nelson at 701-833-9629 to place an order.

The community center gave seniors the chance to get out of their houses and get some socialization in for the day. Living by oneself can be lonely, and talking with someone, even for a short time, helps them get through the day.

With the center being closed, not only are they prevented from having lunch with others, but they are also denied the chance to talk to their friends and neighbors.

“We are optimistically looking forward to when we can get back together,” Davenport said.

The vice president of the Kenmare Senior Citizens Center, John Schwartz, said its center has also taken on a Meals on Wheels program. All of the residents had to leave the building to lower the risk of getting COVID-19, likely staying with family members.

To make sure the seniors of Kenmare still get a healthy meal, food is prepared at the Kenmare Senior Citizens Center and delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Everyone gets the same thing, and each day, the food is different.

“We’re thinking over reopening at the end of the month,” Schwartz said, “but we’ll see how things go.”

The Upham 55+ Club’s Meals on Wheels gets its food from TGU Public School in Towner, according to Carol Christianson.

As of May 18, Christianson stated that week would be the last week they were going to deliver meals to the Upham community. The school would be closing because the spring semester was over.

Mary Schneider, a board member at the Rugby Senior Citizens center, said they have a Meals on Wheels program going Monday through Friday. They do not deliver on the weekends or holidays.

On those days, Wintermute said she encourages the seniors to buy frozen meals from the Minot Commission on Aging.

The food is made at the Haaland Home in southeast Rugby, and everyone gets the same thing.

“The Haaland Home has good food,” she added.

People from the community center would take cookies, bars, coffee and other treats to the lunches or suppers before the pandemic.

Schneider started sending birthday, anniversary and bereavement cards to families, as soon as she is notified when the occasion is happening.

Otherwise, not much else is happening.

“COVID-19 put the kibosh on everything,” she mentioned, sadly.

The Rugby Senior Citizens board used to meet every second Saturday of the month and they’re hoping to have a meeting in July.

“We want to plan for future trips and rides out of town,” Schneider said.

Schneider enjoys spending time with the elderly and participating in activities, too. The seniors at the Rugby center enjoyed the days where the board president and other members would gather together and play their instruments.

Depending on the time of day, seniors at the community center played cards or put puzzles together. A group of the seniors went on picnics in different areas before COVID-19 brought everything to a screeching halt.

“Everything has been put on hold,” Schneider said, “but we want to plan events while the weather is still nice.”

As most know, North Dakota winters can be very harsh, what with the frigid temperatures and abundance of snow.

A trip they went on last year took them to Sullys Hill National Game Preserve near Devils Lake. Everyone had the option to take a friend or family member along, but they had to pay their own way.

“It was so beautiful,” Schneider said of the scenery.

“Everyone is patiently waiting” to go on outings, take in some fresh air and socialize with the people they played cards with or talked to on a daily basis.

It would seem the coronavirus has struck the elderly harder than the general population. They are more vulnerable, some can no longer drive or have access to a vehicle, and cannot speak with their family members without running the risk of spreading the virus. Thankfully, some of the community centers and homes have Meals on Wheels to make sure everyone is fed and healthy.

On May 22, food was prepared and promptly packed into paper bags for delivery.

Cindy Heintz is in charge of making sure that all 36 meals went out to the community. Two Senior Center board members were present to help out. Schneider and Dorothy Slaubaugh also keep things together.

Leonard Schmaltz is a volunteer with the Senior Center and he delivers the meals around town, others also driving their SUVs to drop the filled bags to seniors.

As soon as seniors can return to their local community centers, they can return to socializing, playing games and eat together again.