Meals on Wheels: Yolo County suffers $10,000 in damage after vandalism incident – ​​Daily Democrat

Meals on Wheels Yolo County’s new Winters Senior Nutrition Center is located at 111 Main Street in Winters. (Courtesy)

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Meals on Wheels Sutter Health Senior Nutrition Center in Winters suffered an estimated loss of over $10,000 in frozen meals and perishable food items as a result of an incident of vandalism.

Meals on Wheels in Yolo County is mourning the loss but must also provide the manpower needed to clean up and resolve the aftermath of the unexpected incident.

“Our employees here care deeply about their work,” said Joy Cohan, executive director of MOW. “For most of them, it’s more than just a job. When something like this happens, it’s very emotional and feels very personal, whether it should be or not.”

“The employees’ first thought was not to document the vandalism, but rather ‘how can we help the seniors today and how can we fix it in the future.'”

Although any loss hurts, Cohan said it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because they were able to continue caring for seniors.

Fortunately, thanks to the second kitchen facility in Woodland, no seniors have been without a meal. However, according to a press release from MOW, 500 meals intended to support the program were lost last week, as well as the raw ingredients to prepare an additional 2,100 meals.

“I would classify that as a medium loss,” Cohan said. “The worst would be if we weren’t able to serve seniors that day. That’s certainly a setback because we need time to recover from that. The other loss, which is less tangible, is the loss of faith. You do a good job, raise money and put in the time and effort to prepare the meals, only to have someone come and sweep them up so quickly. Our staff still feel good about the community in Winters. The community across the county has stepped up to make up for that loss.”

When food service staff arrived at the Nutrition Center early Tuesday morning after the holiday weekend, the power had gone out. After a brief investigation and with assistance from the Winters Police Department, staff determined that vandals had gained access to the electrical panel at the rear of the building and intentionally turned off the power at some point during the long weekend.

“In this case, the real victims are the food insecure seniors,” Cohan reiterated. “We responded quickly and made sure the seniors got something to eat that day. They are the victims here, but they are also the beneficiaries of what people can give. We are grateful for people’s willingness to help them.”

Cohan also mentioned that Sutter Health made a $5,000 donation in the hopes it would inspire others to donate time or money.

“After consulting with our insurer, it appears that some – but not all – of the loss of our food supplies may be covered,” MOW said in the press release. “What is not covered is the time and effort required for staff to clear away the spoiled food and immediately begin making replacement meals. Your support today will help MOW Yolo with these unplanned costs, ensure no senior is at risk of missing a meal, and restore faith in the strength and compassion of the community that stands together in the face of malicious misdeeds.”

If you would like to donate or help in any other way, visit https://mowyolo.org/donate-2/.

“We talk about our staff and volunteers wanting to be heroes, but that’s true of the community too,” Cohan said. “When people step in like that, it reinvigorates your faith. Cash is extremely important to the recovery here, but there are other ways people can help. We’re always looking for more volunteers. About 90% of our meals still rely on volunteers for delivery.

“It’s nice to see the community stepping forward in the face of such a terrible event. It’s been refreshing to see people show compassion and strength.”