Wheeler & Taylor, Claire Teague Center Partner to Deliver Meals

It goes without saying that this Thanksgiving is especially difficult for many local seniors, who won’t be able to see friends and family because of the pandemic. That’s why Wheeler & Taylor Insurance in Great Barrington has teamed up with the Claire Teague Senior Center in order to give local seniors a complete Thanksgiving dinner they can easily prepare right at home.

Wheeler & Taylor president, J. Scott Rote purchased oven-ready turkey breast with gravy kits and his staff added vegetables, cranberry sauce, mashed potato mix, dessert, and four KN95 face masks to each package. In all, the packages will yield roughly 300 to 350 meals.

(Featured in the header photo above: Wheeler & Taylor staffers left to right - claims manager Bonnie Brown and account managers Marijka Terziev and Kimberly Briggs with Thanksgiving dinners for seniors.)

The meals then had to get to their destinations. That’s where Polly Mann-Salenovich, director of the Claire Teague Senior Center in Great Barrington, came in. She delivered them to the local senior housing complex and individual seniors.

I got wonderful feedback from our seniors… Wheeler & Taylor thought of everything. All I had to do was put the packages in our van and deliver them. I was thrilled. It really was wonderful, great fun. ~ Polly Mann-Salenovich, Director of the Clare Teague Senior Center

Rote too has gotten calls from seniors. One was from an old acquaintance who’s gone through tough times and now can't get out easily.

He said he hasn’t had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in years and was almost in tears when he called to say thanks. ~ J. Scott Rote, Wheeler & Taylor President

Separately, Kimberly Briggs, account manager at Wheeler & Taylor, who is also the secretary of the Junior League of Berkshire County, spearheaded employee fundraising for the People’s Pantry in Great Barrington.

In total, Wheeler & Taylor employees donated ten boxes of groceries that were delivered to the pantry by her and Rote.