HAYTI — With some nutrition centers closing and food insecurity still an issue for some, Hayti Nutrition Center director Ronda Wooten reminds area residents that her center is still open and there to help local and area residents needing meals.
“We are subcontracted with Aging Matters, so we are open Monday through Friday,” Wooten said. “We’re here until 1 p.m. and we serve (food) from 11 to 1. They’re welcome to eat inside or take it with them.”
Wooten said the Hayti center is also available for area residents whose center has closed and also for other area residents whose centers aren’t open on Mondays. She also emphasized the importance of what nutrition centers do for senior citizens.
“A lot of them don’t have home health workers, so there is no one there that maybe can help with their meals,” Wooten said. “So by them at least receiving lunch (through us), they do have at least one hot, nutritious meal a day.
“And if we deliver to them — because we do deliver to some of our clients … someone is there to check on them and make sure everything is okay. It’s a quick in and out, but we notice things. They know every day, Monday through Friday, if they’re on our delivery route, that someone’s going to be there to check on them in case they need some help.”
In addition to hot meals for those who live in or who can make it to Hayti, residents from other towns who might not be able to make it to Hayti can also have meals delivered through services like UPS and FedEx.
“There is a distant dining program where they will have their meals sent to them via FedEx, UPS, or whatever delivery service they use now,” Wooten said. “To get a hot meal, they would have to go to the senior center closest to them, depending on where they live. But they are welcome, if they’re signed up through the program, to eat at any of the centers. They do not have to eat at the same one all the time.
“If they want to drive down to Caruthersville (on Monday), or if they want to stop here or go to their next local one, (they can), but they will have an option there. They are not necessarily cutting their lunches off. They do have an option of getting the distant dining and getting the frozen meals delivered to them.”
The Hayti Nutrition Center is located at 600 E. Washington St. The center is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, contact the center at 573-359-1148.
