Marshall County legislators help needy senior citizens this Christmas

This holiday season, the Marshall County’s local Legislative Delegation, in conjunction with local businesses and volunteers, has been able to help many area senior citizens and homebound by delivering boxes of food. A few weeks ago, Senator Clay Scofield, Representative Wes Kitchens, and Representative Kerry Rich learned that Meals on Wheels would not be able to deliver meals to Marshall County seniors and homebound during the holidays. Many of these local citizens normally serviced by the seven senior centers through Meals on Wheels would have limited or no access to food during the break from Christmas to New Years. To solve this dilemma, local legislators jumped in with a plan to provide boxes of food. This process of supplying food included getting boxes, loading, off -loading, organizing, packing boxes, and transporting them to those in need. Each box contained 10 or more days of shelf stable foods including soup, chili, peanut butter, canned meat, canned vegetables, crackers, oatmeal, and noodles. Many companies and individuals helped, with special thanks to Tyson Foods, Foodland, Guntersville Parks and Rec, Guntersville Electric Board, Guntersville Water, Guntersville Electric, Guntersville Horticulture Dept, and all the Senior Centers of Marshall County including Albertville, Arab, Boaz, Guntersville, Grant, Douglas, and Martling. Representative Kitchens commented, "People should not have to worry where their next meal is coming from, especially during the holiday season. I would like to thank everyone that assisted in getting the boxes together when we heard of the need on such short notice ensuring Marshall County seniors would have meals throughout Christmas and New Years.” Rep. Kerry Rich, also eager to assist, stated, “It is very important that seniors have adequate food at all times, but especially during the Holidays. I am pleased we were able to do this and wish for everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Senator Scofield, touched by the wide assistance, added, “I knew this was a large undertaking in a short period of time, but it was the right thing to do for our seniors in need. What surprised me was the number of volunteers that showed up on a cold and rainy day to organize the food and load boxes. They did in a few hours what we thought would take all day. This is the spirit of Christmas and for that I am grateful.”