601st AOC Airmen participate in Meals on Wheels

  • Published
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  For more than ten years, members of the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here have participated in Bay County's Meals on Wheels program.

"The majority of the 601st is made up of Florida (Air National) Guardsmen who call Bay County home," said Master Sgt. Billie Statom, 601st AOC first sergeant. "We truly are a part of this area and feel a sense of duty to give back to this community that has given so much to us over the years."

Every Monday morning members of the AOC drive to the Bay County Council on Aging center and pick up ready-made meals to deliver throughout the county to seniors' 60 years or older who are physically homebound and unable to cook or shop for themselves.

"The Meals on Wheels program is one of many programs provided by the Council on Aging that allows seniors to age with dignity and stay in their own home," said Patti Boice, Bay County Council on Aging assistant nutrition coordinator. "The AOC has truly been a blessing to our program."

Bay County Council on Aging representatives provide services for the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged citizens in the Bay County area. The council is a private, non-profit corporation that was established in 1971 and is governed by a board of directors. Serving more than 7,000 persons a year, the agency has more than 300 active volunteers assisting with services for the elderly.

"Volunteering with this program for me is a very humbling and rewarding experience," said Master Sgt. Wendy Gehri, non-commissioned officer in charge of the Operational Assessment Team. "The Council on Aging does an amazing job with their Meals on Wheels program and they are a valuable asset to Bay County."

The AOC is responsible for detecting, deterring, defending and, if necessary, defeating any aviation threat to the citizens of the United States and to U.S. critical infrastructure.