Eighty seniors from around the West Valley all the way out to Tonopah received free meals during Meals of Joy’s first-ever Taste for Joy event Nov. 14.

The Litchfield Park-nonprofit that delivers fresh weekday lunches to seniors initially planned a drive-thru distribution at First Baptist Church of Garden Lakes, 2517 N. 107th Ave., Avondale. Instead, the organization decided to deliver the fresh meals, spokeswoman Aimee Yamamori said.

Volunteers, including Avondale Fire Chief Jeffrey Case, picked up bright blue bags emblazoned with the Meals of Joy logo then set off to deliver the hand-carved ham and pasta entrees, along with a warm side, fresh fruit and salad, to seniors 55 and older who signed up on Meals of Joy’s website, mealsofjoy.org.

Participants also received a dozen eggs, courtesy of Buckeye-based Hickman’s Family Farms.

“The Taste of Joy event sponsored by Meals of Joy was a successful and exciting day. More than 160 free meals were hand-delivered to registered guests across the West Valley in cooperation without some wonderful community partners,” Meals of Joy founder Larry Cervarich said.

“We are very grateful to First Baptist Church Garden Lakes in Avondale for allowing us to host the event and utilize their wonderful kitchen to prepare the meals," he said. "The whole idea behind this Taste for Joy was to allow more people to experience what makes our meal program different. And with it, it is our hope that we can bring our services to even more seniors in need across the West Valley.”

Taste for Joy, sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care and PMD Realty Group, was designed to introduce seniors to the types of made-fresh meals delivered weekdays to program participants.

“It’s our way of showing what makes our meals different, but also to share our gratitude as we begin the 2020 holiday season,” Meals of Joy officials stated on their website.

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Mr. Cervarich, of Goodyear, founded the nonprofit to bring fresh, delicious meals to seniors who are unable to prepare food for themselves due to medical issues or financial need, Meals of Joy delivers meals to several hundred seniors in Avondale, Buckeye, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Sun City, Surprise/Sun City Grand and Sun City West.

For more information about the organization, meal options, menu and prices, or to sign up for delivery, visit mealsofjoy.org and click on the Meals tab.