Every Saturday since 1996, local volunteers have gathered at the Metropolitan Community Church on Petronia Street to assemble and pack nutritious meals for Key West’s elderly population. This program, known as “Cooking with Love,” was founded by Joan Higgs, a local nurse manager, who was volunteering with another church at the time, feeding the homeless.
“We decided to step back because, at the time, there were already several places in the community feeding the homeless,” Higgs said. “So, we took a step back and assessed who the underserved people were, and it became clear that the elderly were the ones in need.”
Each week, 250 meals are prepared with a focus on nutrition. Many elderly community members have health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, requiring careful consideration of salt and sugar content in their meals. Two hundred ten of these meals go directly to elderly folks while the other 40 are sent to Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter.
Though Higgs, now 76 and still passionate about her work, has reduced her involvement over the years, her nephew John Eller has taken on the primary responsibilities of meal scheduling and food preparation, while she manages donations.
After the meals are packed, volunteers distribute them throughout Key West, delivering food, groceries and educational cards with tips on fall prevention, home safety and health information. Many volunteers have dedicated routes they take because of the bonds they’ve created with the elders they serve.
For the past four to five years, Higgs has been visiting Nancy Straus, a 95-year-old Conch, whose fiery energy and booming personality is a joy to be around. Straus kindly invited the Keys Weekly into her cozy home, where she has lived for more than three decades.
“(Cooking with Love) is a wonderful service for the elderly and people like myself,” Straus said. “I don’t have to worry about dinner on Saturday nights. Many people my age, especially women, say, ‘I don’t feel like cooking.’ We don’t have many options. We can’t drive, can’t go to the store and ordering out is very expensive. The volunteers bring us something healthy and tasty, and I have a great appetite. It’s wonderful that they give up their Saturdays to prepare and deliver food to us.”
As we left, Nancy waved goodbye from her doorstep with a grin settling over her entire face.
The elderly of Key West depend on Cooking with Love, not only for their food, but also for the companionship the volunteers provide. Many senior residents, like Straus, live alone and have few visitors.
Cooking with Love is funded by private donations and grants from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, the Sheriff’s Office Asset Fine and Forfeiture Fund, the Edward B. and Joan T. Knight Foundation, and fundraising events by the Queen Mother Pageant, Mary Ellen’s Bar, and many other individual sponsors and cosponsors. Director Danny Flynn and his team from Parrot Key Hotel & Villas also sponsor and deliver meals from time to time.
Because of rising grocery prices, it’s becoming more and more difficult to buy healthy and nutritious foods for the elderly. Cooking with Love is dependent on the generosity of others to keep their food on the stove and their clients fed. To become a sponsor or co-sponsor, or a volunteer, contact Eller at jeller611@outlook.com.
