Feed the Elderly Initiative to Continue Under Current Volunteer Leaders

Community Mediation Upper Shore, Inc. (CMUS) is excited to announce that it has received funding from Kent County Local Management Board to continue the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice’s Feed the Elderly Initiative.  The current Feed the Elderly Initiative team, Mary Jordan, CeCe Wilson and Tammy Rose, will continue to coordinate The Kent County Feed the Elderly Program as they have for the previous 20 weeks.

Upon hearing the news, CeCe Wilson exclaimed, “I am so ecstatic right now really too overwhelmed for words.  To be able to finish what we as a team started, feeding the elderly, I cannot say enough.  I would like to thank Penni Walker-Doyle and CMUS for partnering with us, without you this would not be possible.  My sisters (Tammy and Mary) and I can take a sigh of relief now because we know our community will still be looked after BY US.”

Team member Mary Jordan continued CeCe Wilson’s thoughts, “Words can’t say how honored I am to be able to continue the work that we have been doing over the past months to help the elderly citizens in Kent County.  I would like to say thank you to all the volunteers for having the compassion to come out to make the program work.  I now look at them not as friends but as family.  I have always been one who wanted to help when people need it and I am overjoyed to see everyone come together to help feed our elderly in Kent.”

From March through the present day, this team alongside 160 community volunteers, has fed an average of 200 elderly community members weekly, assisted with packing and distributing breakfast bags to over 600 children per day, and, just for fun, provided 500 Easter Baskets delivered by the Easter Bunny to the children (actually 2 bunnies but don’t tell the children) across Kent County.  They have developed a working partnership that has resulted in the delivery of approximately 5800 bags of groceries including 1,000 prepared meals to the elderly and provided food support to children and other Kent County community members when many other services were closed, leaving many stranded in an uncertain time.

“It is not only an honor but also an absolute privilege to continue the work that was started over 20 weeks ago with the Feed the Elderly Initiative.  A huge thank you to the Local Management Board as well as the 60 plus organizations that have supported us in these last 5 months of uncertainty. I am looking forward to the future and the opportunity to continue to make sure our most vulnerable residents of Kent County are taken care of!” says team member, Tammy Rose.

According to Penni Walker Doyle, Executive Director, “CMUS has been providing free mediation services for almost 20 years.  During COVID 19, we shifted to on‑line mediation sessions and started some in person mediations along CDC guidelines.  Our employee, Carlene Wilson, took on a leading role in the SACRJ grassroots food distribution to older adults and children in Kent County.  Two other CMUS employees worked alongside her as volunteers to help process and deliver the food.  Working with our community members to create a system to provide food for vulnerable community members aligns with the community building mission of CMUS.  We are SO glad to be able to continue this work.”

Food services are available to community members over the age of 60 who lack transportation, family support, live under the poverty level, or who otherwise are unable to meet their daily nutritional needs.  Call CMUS at (410) 810-9188 to make a referral or to volunteer.

List of partnering organizations

1. Social Action Committee for Racial Justice
2. Kent County Local Management Board
3. Kent County Parks and Recreation
4. Community Food Pantry
5. Rising Sons Mentoring
6. Kent Cultural Alliance
7. Garfield Theater
8. Kent County Department of Social Services
9. Upper Shore Aging
10. Echo Hill Camp
11. Kent County Public Schools
12. Betterton Volunteer Fire Company
13. Town of Millington
14. Frank B. Rhodes Furniture Maker
15. Martin’s Ministries
16. Chester River Wine & Cheese Co.
17. Sumner Hall
18. Price’s Rentals and Events
19. Heron Point
20. Kent County YMCA
21. Kent Family Center
22. Community Mediation Upper Shore, Inc
23. Magnolia Caterers and Bread Co.
24. Washington College Food Lab
25. 98 Cannon Riverfront
26. Sultana Education Foundation
27. Team Autism
28. Saving Hope Inc.
29. Kent County 4H
30. Kent County NAACP
31. Kent County Lions Club
32. Members of the Kent County Garden Club
33. W. Wagner and Sons Food Service
34. The Retriever Bar & The Decoy Bottle Shop
35. KRM Development Corp.
36. 22B Lions Club
37. Washington College
38. Stam’s Luncheonette
39. Cutting Edge Flooring
40. Barbara’s On The Bay
41. The Kitchen at the Imperial
42. The Fish Whistle at the Granary
43. Germaine’s Carryout
44. People’s Bank
45. /Hope Fellowship
46. Fruit of the Spirit – Kenny and Ladease Coleman, Frank and Roxie Newsome, Doug and Chris Walters, Pete and Gladys Cole, Bill Ogden, and Lisa Anderson
47. Seedco
48. Luisa’s Cucina Italiana
49. Figg’s Ordinary
50. Kent County Detention Center
51. Artist Anne Singer
52. Kent County Drug and Alcohol Council
53. Crow Farm
54. Kitty Knight House
55. Langenfelder Pork
56. Redner’s Warehouse Market- Chestertown
57. Bayside Grocery
58. Where Pigs Fly Farm
59. Millington Food Pantry
60. Frank M. Jarman American Legion Post #36

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