Dealership donation aids Norwin Meals on Wheels
Norwin Meals on Wheels shut down for about six weeks this spring because of the pandemic, but money from a North Huntingdon auto dealership’s charitable program helps the organization continue to provide nutritious meals to area residents.
The donation of close to $24,000 from Kenny Ross Subaru will be used to help subsidize the cost of the meals, said Clint Page, vice president of Norwin Meals on Wheels, which delivers meals at a price of $5 to about 65 residents in the North Huntingdon, Irwin, North Irwin, Adamsburg and West Hempfield areas.
The dealership donated the money through Subaru’s Share the Love 2019 campaign, which provides $250 for each new Subaru sold during a 45-day period from mid-November to January, said Carley Painter, marketing comunications manager for Kenny Ross Chevrolet-Buick-GMC.
The dealership had the option of earmarking the money for a national charity organization or “one in our backyard that supports our customers and our employees of our dealership,” Painter said. “With that donation, they were able to continue their services through the pandemic, replace equipment that was aging and failing and keep their mission moving forward at a time when people … needed them the most.”
The dealership was able to deliver the money to Norwin Meals on Wheels at the beginning of pandemic-related shutdowns in mid-March caused, Painter said.
“They needed some help, and they make a difference for this community,” Painter said.
The money also will be used to purchase food that Norwin Meals on Wheels buys from an area wholesale distributor to make the nutritious meals, said Jean Tromm, program director for Meals on Wheels. Meals are prepared at New Hope Presbyterian Church.
Norwin Meals on Wheels does not use food from the Westmoreland County Food Bank in Delmont in preparing its meals, Tromm said from behind a mask, as she watched volunteers pack meals on a recent weekday.
The Meals on Wheels organization stopped delivering meals in mid-March, when Gov. Wolf announced restrictions on business activity and closed schools in an effort to prevent the spread of covid-19. When Meals on Wheels resumed delivering meals in mid-May, only about 40 of the recipients wanted the lunchtime deliveries, Tromm said, but more have asked for the meal deliveries since then.
The organization has about 100 volunteers who have returned to assist with meal preparation, packing and delivery of meals, Tromm said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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