“My restaurant would not be what it is today without our amazing community. This is a small gesture, a way to give back to the community that I care about.”
- Serena Gallagher, Owner of Taps Tavern
Serena Gallagher, Owner of Taps Tavern, with Sarah Audet, Executive Director of Dinners with Love Taps Tavern in Poultney recently became the 100th restaurant to join the Dinners with Love program. Owner Serena Gallagher was inspired to sign up for the program by a friend and neighbor she has known since childhood, Kathy Huntington. For her part, Huntington has been a volunteer for the Dinners with Love program at the VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR) in Rutland since earlier this year. Each week, she brings meals to families in and around Poultney.
“This can be a challenging area to get people involved,” said John Campbell, Volunteer Coordinator at VNAHSR. “Whenever a new restaurant or volunteer joins us, it’s pretty exciting.”
Gallagher says she has never experienced hospice care first-hand through a loved one, but can appreciate why the meals she donates–which she describes as “pub-style with a twist”–are important.
“Preparing meals does take time, and it’s nice not to have to worry about where your next dinner is coming from,” she said.
Sarah Audet, Dinners with Love Executive Director, echoed Gallagher’s sentiments. “If you have ever lost a loved one after a long illness, then you know how challenging the end-of-life can be,” she said. “We are here to ensure that both patient and caregiver feel nourished, comforted, and supported by their community.”
And community is precisely why Gallagher wanted to join Dinners with Love.
“My restaurant would not be what it is today without our amazing community. This is a small gesture, a way to give back to the community that I care about.”
In 2017, Dinners with Love program volunteers delivered 2,082 meals donated by 68 restaurants to 155 homes throughout Vermont. With 100 restaurants now participating in the program, we expect that we will be able to provide meals to even more hospice patients and their families this year.
“This can be a challenging area to get people involved,” said John Campbell, Volunteer Coordinator at VNAHSR. “Whenever a new restaurant or volunteer joins us, it’s pretty exciting.”
Gallagher says she has never experienced hospice care first-hand through a loved one, but can appreciate why the meals she donates–which she describes as “pub-style with a twist”–are important.
“Preparing meals does take time, and it’s nice not to have to worry about where your next dinner is coming from,” she said.
Sarah Audet, Dinners with Love Executive Director, echoed Gallagher’s sentiments. “If you have ever lost a loved one after a long illness, then you know how challenging the end-of-life can be,” she said. “We are here to ensure that both patient and caregiver feel nourished, comforted, and supported by their community.”
And community is precisely why Gallagher wanted to join Dinners with Love.
“My restaurant would not be what it is today without our amazing community. This is a small gesture, a way to give back to the community that I care about.”
In 2017, Dinners with Love program volunteers delivered 2,082 meals donated by 68 restaurants to 155 homes throughout Vermont. With 100 restaurants now participating in the program, we expect that we will be able to provide meals to even more hospice patients and their families this year.
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