HANCOCK, Mich. (WLUC) – The Copper Shores Meals on Wheels program has received full funding from the Rotary Club of Houghton for an upcoming project.

According to a Facebook post from the club, this year’s Keweenaw Brewfest is benefiting from the Meals on Wheels program. The club donated $15,400 from the event and also secured a Rotary District grant for $7,500.

A total of $22,900 was allocated for the program project. According to the program’s executive director, Kathleen Harter, the project is a fruit and vegetable washing station.

“I did a presentation for (the Rotary) last fall and talked about the Meals on Wheels program that we support,” Harter said. “We looked at the needs together and they felt this program would have a big impact. And they asked, ‘If you had an ideal fruit and vegetable washing station, what would you have in it?’ And I gave them this incredible wish list and they were able to basically fulfill it, in full.”

Harter says the washing station is used for produce delivered to the program by local farmers. It can be washed, rinsed and packaged before it goes to the kitchen or warehouse. This is then used to make meals for local seniors.

“For example, we might have freshly harvested beets that the farmers might have rinsed, but we still need to process them a bit,” Harter continued. “So we’ll clean them thoroughly, dry them on some racks and then bring them to the kitchen.”

Harter points out that they don’t yet have an enclosed space to install the station, so they’re trying to build an adaptive station. That includes making the station mobile and moving it from outside to inside. Harter says it will eventually be installed in a fixed space.

“Now is our peak growing season,” Harter added, “so we’re going to use this season to get everything we need ready and start ordering. A few of the items we’ll be ordering are larger items that will take longer to deliver.”

The program aims to have the station operational by this time next year.

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