Caring for Friends

Thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers who make meals for Caring for Friends each month. Your monetary donations are appreciated all year long as additional supplies are needed for the cooking group to be able to prepare the 80+ monthly meals. Checks can be made payable to JUMC with CFF written on the memo line.

Caring for Friends™, formerly known as Aid for Friends, is one of the largest food banks and most comprehensive senior meals delivery programs in the 5-county Greater Philadelphia region. The senior meals program serves over 28,000 clients, the majority of whom are homebound seniors and veterans. Through their food bank’s community food redistribution, they provide fresh, frozen and pantry stable food to 250 faith organizations and community nonprofits to fill their pantries and support their group cooking events.

Click here for a slide show presentation of JUMC and CFF!

Volunteer Cooking tipsThank you for cooking for CFF. You can either make several of the same meals, or just fill a tin with leftovers from your family’s meal. Cover the filled tin with foil, place the filled-in instruction sheet on top, then place in the plastic bag and freeze promptly. Don’t forget to put the use by date (one year from preparation) and the Freezer Number 226.

Guidelines for preparing a meal: • Include protein—Protein is an important part of a healthy meal. The main section of the tray should contain at least 4 ounces of protein • Be mindful of size—When preparing a meal with beef, try to use thin, lean cuts of beef. Thick-sliced beef tends to be tough and difficult for some client friends to chew. Beef cubes or stir-fry beef, which can be cut in strips and pan fried quickly, are usually better • Use gravy—In frozen meals, gravy, or even butter, are great additions. Gravy and sauces help preserve the meal and protect it from freezer burn. The meals you make could be kept frozen for a few months • Add sides—Don’t forget about the side sections of the tray. A vegetable and a starch should each be ¼ cup servings so the tray will be filled close to the top.

If you prefer to make a batch of soup or chili – just grab a pack of soup containers and note on the label what your recipe is.

The meals will be delivered to the CFF Warehouse by Jarrettown Volunteers. The meals can be dropped off at Jarrettown Church during office hours (Tues-Fri, 9 to 3) to be placed in the church freezer. Other arrangements can be made by emailing JarrettownUmcOffice@gmail.com or calling 215-646-4129.