Susan Sanders, the manager of congregate dining at Plum- and Bay City senior centers for two decades, is retiring at the end of June.

Since 1999, four days each week she has unlocked the kitchens at the village-owned Plum City Senior Center and Bay City's senior center, lighted the kitchen and set the table for local seniors to have a hot meal.

For Sanders, 68, it's a wrap to a second career.

After graduating Plum City High School in 1975, she served 20 years with the U.S. Army -- including overseas deployments during the first Desert Storm, and Panama. Sanders, the seventh of ten children of Arlene and Ed Klein, began work as a volunteer in 1998 with Char Beyer, who was mentored by Susan's late mother, Arlene. Many also know Sanders from her leadership at Frank Gilles American Legion Auxiliary Post # 365, where she has organized the spring fish fries for more than 16 years.

Sanders’ employer is Pierce County Aging & Disability Resource Center. Her role has been supporting its Senior Nutrition Program. Along with home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels), the ADRC helps guide older adults and individuals with disabilities through long-term care options and leverages funding and grants for specific community needs, such as Social Isolation & Loneliness grants to combat rural isolation.

Participants are asked to contribute $6 for each meal, served or delivered Monday through Thursday, with county, state, and federal monies covering the balance. If participants can't afford to pay, meals are provided free.

ARDC director Morgan Tamminga said she's hopeful Plum City area seniors will continue to have a twice-weekly communal dining option, but details are still being worked out. Bay City area seniors will continue to enjoy meals Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Bay City Community Center. Home meal delivery will remain unchanged.

Participation with senior meals has waned over two decades. It once wasn't unusual to have 15 or more local people appear to share lunch, play cards, pool, board games or puzzles, Sanders said. Now it's typically five to ten diners, Sanders said. Congregate attendance is often tied to the menu. Luncheons featuring roast beef, pork chops, baked chicken, or spaghetti are the favorites.

Meal elements are prepared in-bulk by deli staff at Nilssen's Market in Ellsworth, then transported to the senior site hot, where it is repackaged for distribution to homebound folks. The remaining food is served to people who come to the center.

Service to the community runs in Sanders' family. Susan's late father, Ed, was also an Army veteran and upon his return to PC, he worked at the local hardware store, servicing milking equipment, then became a mail carrier. Her uncle, Bob, was the "father" of Nugget Lake County Park.

During Desert Storm in 1991, Sanders cooked for 400- to 600 troops posted in United Arab Emirates. She had to adhere to Muslim tradition as a woman in an Islamic state. She achieved the rank of E7, Sgt. First Class. At one point, she had 56 people working under her direction. There was no pork on the menu there -- mostly chicken and beef, she said.

She occasionally came under fire of SCUD missiles, usually intercepted by U.S. defenses, but debris and shrapnel would still rain down on them. As Air Force used bunkers for protection versus Army's sandbags, she and others would be exposed to attack while unloading supplies on the airfields. It was very frightening, she admits. She also did two tours at Army installations in Germany.

After a period of recovery from illness contracted during her Army service, Sanders enrolled at UW-River Falls, working toward a degree in animal science with an equine emphasis. She remains just one chemistry course short of her Bachelor of Science degree.

"I really believe in paying back to the community," she said, explaining her participation with the Legion, concessions for ball games and community celebrations.

Going forward, she hopes to spend more time with Plum City friends, book club, her 10 horse-back outings geocaching with friends through the warmer months, and taking care of her health.

Sanders said she'll miss the people.

For more information on ADRC's congregate or home-delivered Meals on Wheels program, call 715-273-6780. The daily menu is available on the Pierce County ADRC's website.

Submitted by Pierce County ADRC