By By MARCIA STEFFENS / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS – Area residents came to the Cass County Council on Aging (COA) Saturday evening to help those who can't always leave their homes.
The Fall Roast and auction was a benefit for the COA Meals on Wheels program.
Two of the major sponsors were Dowagiac Commercial Press and The Greater Niles Community Federal Credit Union.
Many other organizations and businesses gave goods to be auctioned, either with the silent basket auction or by Rep. Neal Nitz calling out the bids.
Singing waiters Pat Fetherston, animal control director, Jackie Taylor, of county administration, and Norma Burns, entertained the capacity crowd.
Music was provided by Al Mott of Cassopolis.
Members of the Ross Beatty High School African American Club were the servers of the roast pork, provided by Mike File.
The COA has already begun an expansion on the building which will increase the capacity to provide food services for Cass County residents.
The Meals on Wheels program isn't only for seniors, as those who are homebound are also eligible to participate.
If the minimal fee or donation cannot be made, no one is ever refused food.
The volunteer drivers take the meals from the COA location on Decatur Road in Cassopolis to the recipients Monday through Friday, sometimes being the only person they have social contact with during the week, COA Director Bob Cochrane explained.
Cochrane and his wife Mary offered one auction item, to prepare food for a party of eight, to be served at Leslie Paul's residence on Diamond Lake, which was purchased by Leonard and Sylvia Kanczuzewski, of Cassopolis.
Other major auction items were golf packages and Notre Dame football tickets. Kanczuzewski even gave two additional tickets so the top two bidders could bring more than $1,000 in for Meals on Wheels on just that item.
During the past fiscal year, 150 customers received 27,127 meals.
The COA plans to increase the number of recipients by 5 percent a year, Cochrane said.
In order to accomplish that goal, $20,000 is needed, some of which will go toward the kitchen equipment.