HELENA — Two Carroll women's basketball players took their talents off the court to help Meals on Wheels deliver warm food to homebound seniors in the Helena community.
Junior Guard Isabelle Erickson and Freshman Forward Laney Elness provided a different type of assist than they're used to, assisting seniors needing nutritious meals.
“The women's basketball team does a lot of community service throughout Helena. We try to get fifty to one hundred hours as a team. This is one of the little programs that we do,” said Erickson.
Steven Ferriter, the community outreach coordinator for Rocky Mountain Development Council, emphasized the importance of RMDC's Meals on Wheels service.
“It's such a great necessary program. I think people would be shocked if they saw, you know, how much need there is in the community for the program, and how many people we help out with their nutrition, and again connection,” said Ferriter.
Volunteers deliver 250 meals daily to seniors in Helena. In addition, 5,600 meals are served to seniors in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater counties combined, through the tri-country distribution program.
After learning the ropes, including the nutritional value of the meals seniors receive, the players hit the road and made deliveries.
For freshman Laney Elness of Winifred, a community of under 200 people, being a part of the Carroll basketball program also means contributing to the community.
“Where I come from, it's pretty small, and we don't have a lot of opportunities to help out in the community like this. So, I think it's really cool that our coach organizes these things and really makes our names known in the community so that it feels like home,” said Elness.
For the pair delivering on the court is just as important as serving the community.
