At Goodman, food is a core program

By Francesca Frisque, GCC director of food resources

Savory smells waft through the hallways of the Goodman Community Center’s Ironworks on a cold December morning. Tony Manowske, Goodman’s kitchen manager, leads his staff through the morning prep of preparing more than 600 meals that day — three different meals for Goodman’s all-day child care program and supper for the middle school youth who arrive for the after­school program.

Over the lunch hour, more than 350 older adults will have full bellies thanks to the kitchen staff. Through a partnership with SSM Health, Goodman provides the food for Meals on Wheels, allowing older adults who might not otherwise have access to a prepared meal to receive a consistent meal Monday through Friday. The food is packed by Goodman staff and volunteers, then delivered by SSM Health’s volunteers. That is in addition to the on-site weekday lunch provided by the older adult program.

Manowske and his crew make this look easy, despite the menu needing to meet nutritional requirements for a broad range of people — and the requirements of various funding sources. They are a cohesive group that works hard and helps one another.

A big part of it looking “easy” is in large part thanks to Nellie Brown, Goodman’s nutrition manager. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, she ensures Goodman’s menu meets the varying needs of all who receive the food. She works closely with staff overseeing the various programs to explore ways to incorporate new items into the menu and to adjust when staff determine a certain menu item is not working. For example, when participants at Goodman’s older adult lunch asked for more fish on the menu, Manowske and Brown were able to introduce Fish Fridays — salmon croquette and baked haddock with lemon.

At the other end of the Ironworks, Allison Dungan, Goodman’s food pantry manager, and her staff prepare for another day at the food pantry. The pantry opens to the public for a three-hour shopping shift three days a week. By the end of the shift, more than 120 households will have come through to “shop” for groceries, selecting fresh produce, milk, eggs, meat and shelf-stable items.

Anyone in the community needing food is welcome and can visit the pantry once per week. The work required to essentially run a small grocery store on a tiny budget is carried out by one full-time manager, two part-time staff members and more than 80 volunteers.

Both of these programs help ensure the community has access to healthy and nutritious food. There are many intersections between the two programs, though often not in the ways one might expect. Volunteers in the food pantry might observe an overabundance of fresh tomatoes and suggest the kitchen incorporate them into the week’s meal. However, with a menu planned eight weeks in advance and strict nutritional guidelines, such changes are not always simple. The two programs do share food and resources when appropriate.

For example, a cook in the kitchen recognized the amount of waste created by unused food. He now ensures that proper food-safety handling is followed, packs up leftovers and takes them to the food pantry daily. The freshly prepared meals are a popular option for families and individuals alike.

It is programs like these that help make the community stronger, especially at a time when costs continue to rise.