Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor Becky Sutfin and Brian Butler, recreation coordinator at Springhill Lake Recreation Center, are the self-dubbed B & B Team and the force behind the Food and Friendship Program that provides meals by delivery to seniors. Begun as an on-site service, meals are now delivered to participants’ homes due to the pandemic.
The program helps around 30 seniors on a weekly or biweekly basis. Participants must live within Greenbelt city limits to qualify. There is no charge, but participants must complete an application to the county, which is facilitated through Sutfin, who can be reached at 240-542-2056 or rsutfin@greenbeltmd.gov.
Meals are catered from Meals on Wheels, yet the city’s program is a distinct entity. Meals are delivered on Fridays and are packaged in a box of seven frozen meals, equal to what they would receive if they came in person. As of March 18, 5,369 meals had been delivered.
The initial meeting hub of the program was the Community Center, where participants enjoyed a hot lunch Monday through Friday. It was also an opportunity for socializing and fellowship.
The shift to delivery happened on March 13, 2020, when the facility was closed due to Covid. Sutfin and Butler are responsible for the deliveries. In addition to the food boxes, the team, said Sutfin, distributes activity bags, cards, love and support.
At the start of this effort, the pair worked with 40 to 50 seniors. Sutfin noted, “With Covid protocols being lifted, some of the seniors felt comfortable going to the store and cooking meals on their own.”
For Sutfin and Butler, this effort is more than just providing meals. With the social isolation that has been part of the pandemic experience, especially for seniors who don’t have family to connect with, each delivery is a chance to check in on the emotional well-being and possible needs of the participants; a chance, said Sutfin, to “smile, laugh and enjoy our conversations.” In some cases, said Sutfin, “we became their family.” The pair makes the seniors aware of the programs available in the city from Greenbelt CARES, Greenbelt Assistance in Living (GAIL) and through the Recreation Department.
A tragic element of all this was the deaths of some of the participants during the pandemic, which Sutfin said “was hard on Brian and myself.”
The goal is to once again return to an on-site program, with there being a concerted effort, said Sutfin, “to make sure that no one falls through the cracks. We want to make sure that they still have access to food and social interaction.” “It is truly a blessing,” she said, “to be able to support our seniors and the program.”
