The Weekly Bulletin
Monday, January 27, 2020
Attendee: club members present 13
Call to order: President, Mary Dewey at 12:03 pm
Invocation: Rick McKeman
Pledge: Carl Scott
Introduction of Guests and New and Old Members (who have been gone)
none
Welcome any new or returning members
none
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Kansas Day 1/29 – Rick wanted to celebrate. He asked if anyone knew the exact date when Missouri became a state. Someone replied Tuesday.
Mystery Person:
Bonnie – picked C.O.
Sign In or Pay the Pig:
- Carl – 50 yrs ago Chiefs won Super Bowl.
- Rick- badge, and on TV with story of upcoming Computer Give away.
- Scott – Ronald McDonald newsletter spot with picture.
- Mary last week in City newsletter.
President Announcements
- I would like to Thank everyone who came out last Monday in the snow for our make up Holiday Party. We had a great turn out.
- We had four funding at our Board meeting on Thursday, January 16. They were
- CYBA League of $300.00 for our two team we sponsored
- Jr Achievement: We didn’t fund not enough information.
- Big Tree Volleyball Club: $250
- Big Brother and Big Sister: $2100
- Food Bank: Jim Murphy, Carl Scott, and Larry Fick. Buddy Packs (week before last)
- Soap Box Derby update: Rick McKernan
Evin Schilling will serve as Derby Director this year. Most prior drivers have been contacted with good response. There will be cars available.
- Computer Give Away: Rick McKerman 50 Computers delivered on Wednesday, February 26. Thursday, February 27 will be cleanup and hooking up the computers. Friday February 28 will be used to address any issues discovered on Thursday. Saturday, February 29 computer will be given to selected recipients. Sign up sheet will be going around next week. The Sheriff’s department will again give internet safety presentation.
- Boys and Girls Club Chili Cook Off: Will be on Saturday, February 15. Scott Stager has a signup sheet for anyone willing to help with cooking or serving the chili.
Scott reports that the following help is needed:
- 8:30 to noon – five people to do the prep and cooking
- noon to 2 p.m. just a couple to hold down the fort and monitor the cooking chili
- 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Five or Six people to serve chili
- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Clean up and haul stuff back to clubhouse. 4-5 folks would be helpful.
Anyone who can help is asked to contact Scott at 573-474-5955 (H), or 573-424-4764 (cell), or stagers@missouri.edu
He also asked if anyone had a table easel to display last years 3rd place engraved cutting board. Additionally smaller stands for a couple of the photos would be nice. Mary says she can come up with an easel to hold the cutting board.
- Chili Cook Off at the Clubhouse: Steve Winter will be out from his knee surgery. Kelly Schilling has stepped up to put this together. Cook off will be held on Thursday, February 6 (Optimist Day) at the Clubhouse – 6 p.m. Cost is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids. If you bring Chili you eat for FREE. We need 6-8 people to make chili. Larry will start taking money and names of who is going to bring Chili today.
- CYBA game times: 3rd grade boys team coached by Lyman plays at 8:00 am at Battle Elementary School this Saturday 2/1 and 7th/8th grade boys team coached by Tatum plays the same day at 9:00 am at the Sports Field House.
- 2nd Qtr East Missouri Conference: Will be held in Columbia on Friday, February 21 and 22 at the Drury Inn which is next to TGI Friday Resta
- They will be collecting socks for homeless kids in the Columbia area
- Mary is in charge of Friday night activity – She is planning a Murder Mystery event.
- Mary got lumber donated from LA Crosse Lumber to fix up the broken tree stands. We will be building them this spring or summer.
Announcements from the Floor:
Today’s Speaker:
JoNette Weaver from Meals on Wheels
She started by thanking us for what we do in the community.
She is a retired Elementary Teacher/Principal. She is the fund raising and volunteer coordinator. She has lived 47 years in Columbia
Many years some local folks felt there was a need for providing meals to seniors or others who were homebound or unable to provide meals for themselves. Meals on wheels started at what was the Calvary Baptist church activities building.
21 years ago they began searching for a partner and found a great one in the VA hospital. VA already was producing meals for the hospital and had both facilities and personal who could prepare large quantities of meals. In addition VA can get the food ingredients at government rates and have registered dietician on site to ensure the meals are well balanced. Meals on Wheels has contracted with them to do all the meal planning and creation. Meals are delivered by large group of volunteers.
Meals on Wheels is a non profit, have no federal involvement so no federal oversight or complications of funding suspensions. This gives them much more flexibility in their operation.
There are three criteria for qualifying to receive Meals on Wheels. Satisfying any single one of them makes someone eligible.
- Age >= 70
- Recent hospitalization to help heal better
- Chronic illness or disability.
They are members of a national group, but there is no funding or criteria coming down. Each local group determines their own funding method.
Someone can call and get meals as soon as the next day.
Meals consist of a box dinner with three components
entree
carbs
vegetable
Today for example the meal consisted of Taco, rice, and green beans plus a beverage
The maximum price anyone pays is between $5-6. There are subsidies for low income which are supported by fund raising. 80% of recipients do get help with funding.
Evening box dinners are available. They usually consist of old cuts, jello or something similar. 30% of recipients get the box dinner. They pay the same price for it as main dinner.
In addition to M-F meals, 35 meals go out Fridays for weekends. Last Friday was particularly difficult because of the bad weather. They did 3 emergency deliveries in snow last weekend.
Recipients can sign up for as few as 3 days a week.
Over 100 volunteers help out in a typical week. They head in 21 directions from the VA. There is lots of training and volunteers need to be flexible, There were 197 active volunteers last year who provided over 11,000 hours of service.
They have a number of college student volunteers – 10 per semester who juggle schedules and drive on a weekly basis. There are a couple of home school Moms who bring their children along which is a big hit with recipients.
Each volunteer makes 3-10 stops with an average 125 meals delivered per day.
An added benefit is that drivers can watch for problems and emergency contacts can be notified when necessary.
Funding:
- Client sliding fee scale.
- Fund raising – April Big Wheels partnership with Panera. $10 for a meal with $5 going back to Meals on Wheels. These are sold to businesses with 4000 sold last time. There is sometimes a fall fundraiser.
- COMO
- Grants from agencies, foundations and private companies like Veterans United.
At the present time their radius of coverage is within the city limits of Columbia. They have a goal for 2020 to get to Ashland where there is currently no senior food service.
UPCOMING SPEAKER/EVENTS
- 2/1/20 Ashland and Midway Optimist Club Pancake Breakfast from 6 am to 1 pm
- 2/3/20 Tim Haller from Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge
- 2/10/20 Lawrence Simonson from PedNet (Pedestrain and Pedaling Network)
- 2/15/20 Boy’s and Girl’s Club Chili Cook-off at the Holiday Inn Expo Center
- Kidsfrist Optimist Club Trivia Night and Chili Cook-off from 6:00 pm starting the chili and
7:00 starts the Trivia Contest
- 2/17/20 Bonnie Yantzi and Phil Williams from Fun City Youth
- 2/22/20 Habitat Humanity Pancake Day for detail to come
- 2/24/20 Gay Litteken from Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center
- 3/2/20 Lottie Creasy from CPS Motor Lab at Rock Bridge Elementary School
- 3/9/20 Cheryl Howard from Nora Stewart Early Learning Center
- 3/14/20 Coyote Hill Fundraiser Pancake Breakfast at Memorial Baptist Church from 7:30 -12:00
- 3/16/20 Peter Stipleman, Superintendent for the Columbia Public School
- 3/21/20 Kiwanis Club Pancake Day at Columbia College from 7 am to 12 pm
- 3/23/20 Charles Koening from CPS Stem Program
- 3/30/20 Elizabeth Eichenberger from True North of Columbia
- 4/6/20 Linda Schust from Jabberwocky Studio
- 4/27/20 Bruce Yong from CMSE-Giving Gardens
- 5/4/20 Jessica Muller from Great Circle
Adjourn with the Creed: 12:57 p.m.
Optimistically Yours,
Mary Dewey, President
Prepared by Scott Stager
Downtown Optimist Club 