HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – For several years, the Rock Harbor Lodge on Isle Royale National Park has been donating food to the Copper Shores Meals on Wheels Program.
The program serves 94,000 meals a year to more than 300 seniors across Houghton County. At the end of each season, the lodge packs up what it can and sends it to Houghton aboard the national park’s Ranger III.
“It works out well for us and for them, because the food doesn’t go to waste and they know it’s going to a good cause,” Copper Country Meals on Wheels Program Director Kathleen Harter said. “They clean out all the freezers, all the walk-in coolers, they clear out the store; anything they can’t keep over winter on the island, they donate to us.”
The donation is made up of dry goods, canned goods and frozen items. However, the program doesn’t know exactly what kinds of those items it is receiving until the boat arrives.
“Sometimes, we get new and unusual things that we don’t usually use,” Harter continued. “I think last year, we got a couple large containers of pesto, and we were able to turn that into a whole pasta meal that we used with fresh tomatoes and chicken.”
On Thursday afternoon, program members were ready to start packing up the food when it arrived at the pier. I asked the program’s kitchen director Tribin Holbrook what was given to them this time.
“We got a lot more this year than we did last year,” Holbrook said. “I caught a bunch of cases of burgers going in there… the seniors love the cheeseburgers. And there’s a lot of things like mayo and other things that we use for ingredients in our recipes.”
Onions, chips and cheeses were also included in the donation. The program plans to use the perishable items immediately, while storing and freezing others for future use. Harter notes the program can also receive similar donations from businesses in the area.
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Senior meals program receives donation from Isle Royale-based business – Upper Michigan's Source
