Meals for the many

Meals for Many serves about 100 – 180 homeless, senior citizens, students, and other hungry people every week. They eat off tables riddled with holes that are falling apart, and the staff struggles with broken refrigeration and inadequate equipment brought about by a lack of funds. Jerod Kerouac, 23, a senior communications major at Plymouth State University got involved with Meals for Many last year. “When we lifted a table once, a piece of it broke off and hurt someone’s foot,” he said. Kerouac wants to help. He applied for an alumni grant and received a $1000 grant last semester. The problem is that he has to “match funds.” In other words, he has to raise $1000 himself to get the additional grant money. So far, he has only raised about $100, and hopes to raise the rest before the semester ends. Meals for Many is sponsored by Community Closet, and has been in service for 13 years. Students and clubs from PSU often volunteer to help, in addition to police, fire fighters, and members of the community. Food donations are usually made by local businesses and the government. They offer “decent food” as Kerouac put it, like chicken, spaghetti, kielbasa, different types of soups, and vegetables. They also have dinners for special holidays like Thanksgiving. Their refrigeration has been broken for over a year, and according to Kerouac the tables, “look 13 years old, or older.” He explained that he wants to help because Meals for Many is something he might have been to when he was young. “I’m trying to leave a good impression on students, the community, as well as on myself,” he said. Donations go directly to Meals for Many. Volunteers and donors are asked to contact John Kerouac at j_kerouac@plymouth.edu, or his extension, x5348.