MorseLife Staff Deliver High Holiday Meals to the Community’s Most Vulnerable Seniors

This week MorseLife’s dedicated staff prepared, packaged and delivered kosher holiday meals to the most vulnerable of Morselife’s Meals-on-Wheels participants.

“This is a year unlike any other since we began delivering meals to seniors in need 25 years ago,” said Keith Myers, CEO & President of MorseLife Health System. “I am very proud of our staff who have stepped in to prepare, assemble and deliver these gifts when we are unable to welcome volunteers to our campus due to the pandemic.”

Seniors in need received traditional meals of Honey Garlic Chicken, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, homemade Matzoh Ball Soup, an apple and honey, a large Challah, a bottle of wine, and freshly made honey cake for dessert.

“We look forward to a return to normalcy, where residents, staff and community volunteers can gather together once again to deliver meals and spend time visiting with vulnerable seniors who look forward to companionship during the holiday season,” added Myers.

MorseLife’s Homebound Mitzvah Program for Passover and the High Holidays is made possible through generous donations to the MorseLife Foundation and assistance from the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

MORSELIFE LEVIN PALACE RESIDENTS AND STAFF GATHER FOR A FESTIVE LATKE COOK-OFF 

On December 11^th residents at the independent living residence Levin Palace and MorseLife staff participated in a Latke cookoff to celebrate the coming Hanukkah holiday. 

Residents who live on the senior campus joined teams from marketing, resident services, housekeeping, maintenance and administration in the culinary contest. The culinary winner was resident Frank Gold, whose award-winning recipe is featured below.

The Levin Palace at MorseLife, a luxury residence in the heart of West Palm Beach, provides exceptional living for an older generation. The five-star living residence urges everyone on campus to strive to not only live longer, but to live younger.

MorseLife Wining Latke Recipe

Frank Gold

5 medium Idaho baking potatoes

2 medium onions

5 eggs

1/2 lb. unbleached flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 qt Canola oil

Peel and quarter potatoes, keeping in bowl with water over them.  Peel and quarter the onions.  Heat oil in large frying pan.  Take approximately 1/5 of the potatoes, 1/5 of the onions and 1 egg and place these items in the bowl of a large food processor (with steel blade in place) and pulsate until all ingredients are chopped (not made into paste or pureed) and are a rough slurry.  Pour contents of food processor into a large bowl, repeat 5 times until all ingredients are in the large bowl.  Add flour (as needed), to achieve a batter like consistency and add salt and pepper to taste (approximately 1/2 teaspoon of salt per potato and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for the batch).

With a large spoon take batter and place it in hot oil, keeping each pancake separated, turning over when the bottom is golden brown. Remove from heat when second side is appropriately browned, and contents are cooked.  Drain oil on paper towels on a plate.  Serve immediately.

Tips:  The potato batter will turn black if left in the bowl too long before cooking, so speed is necessary in the cooking process.  Add flour as necessary since the potatoes will give off water and make the batter soupy.  Too much flour will make the pancakes heavy and not as tasty.  Add oil as the process continues making sure that the oil stays at approximately 360 degrees or too much oil will be absorbed by the pancake.  

To prepare in advance, half cook the pancakes and freeze them.  When ready to serve, defrost and fry in a deep fryer until golden brown.

MorseLife Residents, Staff and Volunteers Package and Deliver High Holiday Meals to Community Seniors in Need

Residents living at The Levin Palace at MorseLife, along with hundreds of community volunteers, took time out of their busy schedules in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah to package and deliver holiday meals to lonely and isolated seniors living throughout Palm Beach County.

As one MorseLife resident expressed, “When you are fortunate enough to have a beautiful life, the only way to express your gratitude is to do something for someone less fortunate.”

Volunteers spent the day delivering a “holiday in a box,” which included meals, wine, soup, challah, apple & honey, and homemade honey cake. Many of the seniors who received meals were lonely widows and widowers or Holocaust survivors accustomed to enjoying the High Holidays around the table with friends and family, but due to life circumstances now find themselves alone.  Volunteers spent time visiting with these individuals and providing needed companionship to help make their holiday brighter.

Residents at MorseLife’s senior living community are encouraged to “live younger,” enjoying food, fun, family, friends, freedom while looking forward to the future. Research indicates that isolation poses health risks, while living life with a glass-half-full mentality adds years to one’s life.  Through the many volunteer programs at MorseLife, residents and volunteers can share their joyfulness, optimism and connectivity with the greater community.

MorseLife’s Homebound Mitzvah Program for Passover and the High Holidays gathers hundreds of community volunteers to assist with pre-delivery meal packaging and/or meal delivery to more than 2,000 seniors throughout Palm Beach County. Volunteer opportunities that benefit community seniors in need, such as the Homebound Mitzvah Program, are made possible through generous donations to the MorseLife Foundation.

For more information on volunteer opportunities visit the MorseLife Foundation website.