KITSAP COUNTY — They have all given hours and hours to help others. They all consider volunteering something that’s an important part of their lives. And they’re all in the senior years of their lives.
Phyllis Blackwell, Sharron King and Patricia Sparrow have been named the recipients of the 2015 Silver Plate Awards. The annual program, which is just in its second year, honors seniors over the age of 60 who are making extraordinary differences through Kitsap County. And it’s a way for the Meals on Wheels Kitsap program to fund raise.
“We had a lot of nominees,” said Deborah Horn, executive director of Meals on Wheels. “It was a nice, diverse group.”
Honorees will receive an engraved silver plate at a breakfast May 27 at the Kitsap Conference Center. The breakfast is one of several fundraising events that Meals on Wheels hosts each year.
“We’ve been trying to be creative about fundraising,” said Horn, noting that about 39 percent of the program’s budget comes from fundraising and donations.
Phyllis Blackwell, 85, of Bremerton, was selected for her many years of volunteer service to children, especially those with disabilities. Blackwell was a special education teacher for the Central Kitsap School District for 22 years.
“I loved working with the students, helping them find ways to do their work that fit their special needs,” Blackwell said. “I would try to help them integrate what they were learning into their daily lives.”
And, when she retired, she kept working with students. She became a volunteer at Pinecrest Elementary School in a third grade class.
“I worked with them to get them to comprehend what they were reading,” she said. “And to understand expressions.”
One example she recalled was teaching student what was meant by “It’s rainy cats and dogs.”
“Some of them actually thought cats and dogs were going to fall from the sky,” Blackwell said.
She’s also known for her volunteer work with others where she lives at The Willows apartments. She has taught arts and crafts.
While Blackwell’s eyesight is failing and she no longer can give the hours she use to, she’s still considered a gem in her community.
“She has made a lasting impact in the community,” Horn said.
Blackwell was nominated by Colleen Clotfelter of Bremerton.
Patricia Sparrow, 73, of Bremerton, was selected for the services she’s given to seniors through programs at both Lutheran Community Services Northwest and Catholic Community Services. She was nominated by Julie Kerrigan of Lutheran Community Services Northwest.
Sparrow has volunteered for the Senior Companion Program in Kitsap County since February 2001. During that time, she has been a companion to scores of frail or disabled adults living independently in their own homes. She has contributed more than 38,500 hours of service and transported her clients on more than 1000 trips — out to eat, to grocery shop, to doctor’s appointments and to the bank.
A former childcare employee of the Bremerton School District, she began volunteering when she retired about 15 years ago.
“I do it because there are people out there who need my help,” Sparrow said. “I’m so very blessed to have these people in my life, too.”
Most of the clients she works with become friends, she said. She learned to help others from a very young age, growing up in Yakima.
“I’d do things for our neighbors who needed help,” she said. “I’d take their lists and go to the neighborhood store and get what they needed. And I tended to a garden for one lady who couldn’t do that herself. Even as a child, I liked to do thing for others.”
She moved to Bremerton in 1966 and has lived in Kitsap County ever since. She has also been a community volunteer working with teenage parents, teaching them parenting skills and helping them to learn budgeting, cooking from scratch and frugal shopping. She started one of the first clothing libraries in the area. Over the years she was active in gardening clubs and book clubs, Boy Scouts and Little League.
The third honoree is Sharron King, 73, of Port Orchard. King has done volunteer work through Soroptimist International of Port Orchard, Fathoms of Fun, the City of Port Orchard’s Centennial Celebration and several other community organizations. King was nominated by Leslie Burnett of Soroptimist International of Port Orchard.
“The selection committee was struck by the diversity of the people who she (Sparrow) helps,” said Horn. “She’s helped everyone from babies to grandparents.”
King moved from Alaska to Port Orchard in May of 1988. It took only about a year for the locals to get wind of her abilities and soon she was chairing the city’s centennial celebration. She’s on deck to do that again this year for the city’s 125th celebration.
Besides that, she’s chairing the Fathoms of Fun summer time festival.
“There wasn’t one driving force that got me into volunteering,” King said. “It’s just something that I like to do. I’ve always liked being around people.”
Her other work includes projects to benefit victims of domestic violence through her association with Soroptomists.
She’s honored at receiving the Silver Plate, but said she doesn’t need a pat on the back for what she does.
“I do it because my heart tells me to do it,” King said. “You know what they say, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person.’”
Horn said the Silver Plate breakfast is special because it shows how even those who are advancing in age can help out in the community. She said funds raised go to support Meals on Wheels, a program that provides nutritious meals to seniors at meal sites and delivered to their homes. Last year the program served more than 80,000 meals to 1,200 individuals.
“With a staff of just three full time employees and seven part time employees, we are blessed to have at least 130 dedicated volunteers that make things happen,” Horn said. “Our volunteers do everything from serve on our board of directors, to serving meals at our meal sites, to delivering meals to our clients who aren’t able to leave their homes.”
Last year, 12,037 hours were given by volunteers. Additionally, 2,294 clients also received nutrition education and dietary counseling services from the program’s registered dietitian.
Menus are created by the staff dietitian and hot meals are served Monday through Friday at noon at eight meal sites throughout the county. The meals are prepared at Kitsap Community Resources in Bremerton and are delivered hot within the city limits of Bremerton and frozen to be reheated to those living outside the city limits. While there is no cost, a $3 donation is asked for each meal. Too, frozen meals can be sent home with clients who eat at meal sites for the weekend days.
About 61 percent of the funding for Meals on Wheels comes from federal government grants through the Older Americans Act and Community Development Block Grants.
That means donations make up the rest, she said.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have businesses and individuals in the community help,” said Horn. “Our programs depend on them.”
And, she said, what makes Meals on Wheels different from other meal programs is that it’s more than just a meal.
“What sets us apart is that we provide a nutritious, balanced meal designed by a dietitian,” Horn said. “And, whether it’s at a meal site or with home delivery, we give seniors companionship. If it’s at a meal site, our clients look forward to socializing with the others who come there. And with our home delivery, our clients and our volunteers bond. They become almost like family.”
To attend the Silver Plate breakfast, go to www.mealsonwheelskitsap.org to register. Cost is $25 per person and it begins at 7 a.m. Register by 5 p.m. May 22.
To find out more about programs offered by Meals on Wheels, or to volunteer, check the website, or call 360-377-8511.
