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Take & Eat Food Program Fueled by Growing Need
By Phyllis McGuire, Special to iBerkshires
12:45PM / Sunday, March 22, 2015
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Serving up meals to go at St. Patrick's Church for the Take and Eat program that serves homebound elderly on the weekends.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — It started with Deacon Francis Ryan and his wife, Kathleen, preparing 44 meals in the kitchen of a parish hall on Easter Sunday 2002.

Now, more than 2,600 volunteers at 50 different sites in Western Massachusetts participate in the Take and Eat Program. In 2014, volunteers prepared and delivered 45,000 meals to homebound elderly, free of charge.
 
Ryan last month recounted the events leading up to the founding of Take and Eat Inc.

"When I was studying to be a deacon, I did some work in the Episcopal Church in North Adams. They did Thanksgiving meals, and I got to know a lot about Elder Services.

"I was ordained [to the deaconate] in 2001 and assigned to St. Anthony's Parish in North Adams," he said. "When [the late] Father O'Hear was the pastor, we were put out of the church, because of asbestos [being found there]. So we celebrated Mass in the parish hall."

Ryan recalled that when he saw the kitchen in the parish hall, he thought, "Why can't we make meals here for homebound elderly in need of meals on weekends?"

The deacon attributes the Holy Spirit with guiding him in that direction to manifest his "ministry of charity."

"The government funded Meals-on-Wheels Program only operates Monday through Friday," he explained. "And most of their clients have no way to get a meal on weekends or holidays."  

"By 2003, the demand for meals became so heavy we had to incorporate."

Ryan is now executive director of Take and Eat and his wife is program director.

The mission of Take and Eat is to recruit and train volunteers in various faith-based community organizations to prepare and deliver meals to the homebound elderly on weekends  

"We are open to any faith — Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and others. ... I am in sales," Ryan said with a smile. "I can preach in any church, and I tell  people about Take and Eat."
   
Fern Murtagh and her husband, Thomas, heard Ryan speak at St. Patrick's Church in Williamstown, where they are congregants.

"He invited [the congregation] to a Take and Eat meeting," said Murtagh.

After attending the meeting, the Murtaghs volunteered for the Meals Ministry at St.Patrick's.
 
"In January 2015, we began our 12th year of the Meals Ministry," said Murtagh. "Everyone has been very supportive."
 
Each faith-based community organization functions on contributions sent directly to their individual organization. In the Parish of Sts. Patrick & Raphael, people often donate money in memory of the recently deceased.


I called to find out if they would need a meal on Easter. It was humbling. Every single person we were making deliveries to said 'yes.'
                        — Fern Murtagh


Volunteers come from all walks of life: College professors, homemakers, retirees and parents. Some are not parishioners, and some bring their children. One couple, Murtagh said, welcomed the opportunity to volunteer and teach their two young sons to help others.
 
In  addition to a meal, clients receive a brown bag containing a roll, two pieces of fruit and candy.

"Children stuff in the bags pictures they have drawn," said Murtagh, who is coordinator of the Meals Ministry. "Wild Oats is extremely generous, providing all the fruit free of charge. It's a wonderful community service."

One week, Murtagh was uncertain about clients needing a meal delivered on a particular Sunday when families usually gather.  

"I called to find out if they would need a meal on Easter," she said. "It was humbling. Every single person we were making deliveries to said 'yes.'"

The clients also told Murtagh how much they appreciate receiving the meals. One widower said his wife had always prepared all their meals, and he did not know how to cook. Another man was able to make ends meet because he received the free meals on Sunday.

"The number of clients fluctuates," said Murtagh. "We started with 80. Now it's down to 50. Some people come to us in times of stress or under challenging conditions, and when they no longer need our help, they drop out."

A man who had been caretaker to his wife dropped out after his wife died as he then had time to shop and cook for himself.

"Drivers look out for the well-being of our clients," said Murtagh. "They may be the only people the clients see until Meals-on-Wheels resumes deliveries on Monday. Deacon Ryan said that drivers have found clients on the floor after a fall."

When asked why he chose the name Take and Eat for the meals program, Ryan refers to the scriptures: "Jesus blessed bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying 'Take and Eat.' Now we tell our clients 'Take and Eat,'" he said.

In the near future, more homebound senior citizens in need of a weekend meal will have that void filled. Take and Eat is expanding its reach.  

"This year we are moving into Springfield," Ryan said.

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