Hilltop Regional Kitchen's ribbon cutting ceremony was held on November 15 at the facility in Eagle Bend.
Hilltop Regional Kitchen's ribbon cutting ceremony was held on November 15 at the facility in Eagle Bend.
"The Power of community" builds a beautiful kitchen
by Karin L. Nauber
“The level of commitment and dedication of those involved made this happen. Their perseverance—they didn’t give up when setbacks came—they worked together to make this work. That is the power of community,” said South Country Health Alliance CEO Leota Lind of the grand event of the ribbon cutting/open house of the long awaited Hilltop Regional Kitchen located in what once housed the shop area of the former Eagle Valley High School in Eagle Bend.
Lind was one of several speakers at the ceremony which took place on November 15 with a standing room only crowd in attendance.
Rick Hest, president of the Eagle Bend Senior Citizen Center and the Master of Ceremonies for the event, said that this kitchen was years in the planning and that it was a “long and sometimes very challenging” path to get to this point.
In the 1970s counties around the country began developing what would become the Meals on Wheels program which would deliver to homes hot meals five days a week to those in need.
“During the past 40 years a lot of the kitchens that were doing this couldn’t stay open for a variety of reasons, but the needs were still there,” said Hest...