Savory support: Senior Resources set for seventh cookout
by Margaret Hurlbert
April 17, 2022

MUSCATINE, Iowa–In one form or another, the Senior Resources Cookout has supported the organization’s services for older adults for the past seven years. Originally a cookoff in downtown Muscatine, organizers planned to revamp it to focus more on the community and less on the competition. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 sped this transition, as the cookout moved to a drive through format as a means to keep it operating and to keep attendees safe. This spring, the cookout will take place outside of Crossroads for a second year in a row. With the help of some skilled chefs from the Muscatine Fire Department, Muscatine Police Department, and the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Senior Resources looks forward to an afternoon of fun, friendship, and fundraising for the vital programs it offers.

With the purchase of a $10 meal ticket, diners can enjoy their choice of a burger or a brat, tasty sides prepared by the Rendezvous, and bottled water April 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Depending on their schedule, attendees may eat outside of Crossroads (located at 1424 Houser Street in Muscatine) and socialize with fellow community members, or they may take their meal to go. Thanks to generous sponsorships and donations from Ascent Pro Support, Hy-Vee Muscatine, and the Rendezvous, all money from ticket sales will go directly to Senior Resource’s programming. In previous years, the cookout has sold close to $7,000 worth of tickets. Vision 2020 Marketing and Communications Director and Executive Assistant Megan Francis hopes to raise at least $7,000 this year, and possibly much more. “We would always like to blow that goal out of the water,” she emphasized.

Money from the fundraiser will allow Senior Resources to continue offering their programs, such as their Adult Day Center, Chore Program, Meals on Wheels, Home Repair Program, and Outreach Program, on a sliding fee scale based on income. This ensures that any older adult who needs help can get it at a price that works. Combined, these services help hundreds of Muscatine County residents each year and help older adults stay in their homes, get high quality meals, and have much needed social interactions with friendly and caring volunteers.

If you would like to help Senior Resources keep serving the community simply by purchasing a tasty lunch, Francis encourages you to get your tickets ahead of time by calling Senior Resources at 563-263-7292, though people may still buy tickets at the event itself. “We recommend advance so we make enough food, but we won’t turn anyone away at the door,” she elaborated.

Advance ticket sales end April 27, so Francis urges everyone to avoid procrastination and pick them up soon to garuntee that everyone who wants to can get back to participating in community events and help Senior Resources through this simple yet enjoyable fundraiser. As she put it, the Senior Resources Cookout allows you, “to feel good about where your lunch money went.”

A favorite event for both Senior Resources staff and volunteers, as well as with the community, Francis says she gets the most satisfaction from, “getting to see clients, to see clients’ families, and community supporters–just having that community support rejuvenates us all.”

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