Home Maker Program Coordinates with the Townsend Food Pantry
 | Author:
Matthew Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Home Maker Program Coordinates with the Townsend Food Pantry
Matthew Nelson
Mindy Shaeffer works for the Broadwater County Health Department. She and Cassandra Beckman and Julie LaBlanc are involved with the Home Maker Program, based on a grant through the Broadwater County Public Health Department. They do a lot of in-home care for seniors and disabled people who are qualified. Since March 31st the staff of the Home Maker Program has been picking up food from the Townsend Food Pantry for people who are either homebound or can’t get to the pantry; some people have limited transportation or don’t drive. Some people just can’t make it on Saturdays when the food pantry is open.
The Townsend Food Pantry is open for food distribution on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and if there is a fifth Saturday they are also open then. Donations are accepted on the Friday before each weekend that the pantry is open, and this is also the day when the Home Maker people pick up their food. For those who don’t have transportation, but can still get out, they also take people grocery shopping. Like everything else, the cost of food is rising and as a result, there are a lot more people in need of food.
Meagan Poe, the Community Health worker at Billings Clinic Hospital, also plays a role in distributing food baskets to people in need.
The Home Maker Program also helps people with their housekeeping, takes people to doctors’ appointments, runs errands, runs to the pharmacy, and does other little outings for them.
They also have another program, called the Skilled Nursing Program. This program will send a medical assistant or a nurse over, and they can help people with their medications and home health care.
Karoline Nelson, the Operations Manager at the Food Pantry, made the suggestion that if any of the homebound people have special requests for food they would like to have or need to let the Home Maker Program staff know. Mindy Shaeffer’s email address is Publichealth@co.broadwater.mt.us. Her phone number is 406-266-5209.
Please feel free to reach out to the Broadwater County Public Health Department if you have family or friends that may benefit from food distribution. 406-266-5209
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