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Seniors balk at ban on free doughnuts - Update
MSNBC ^ | Sept 24, 2007 | DancesWithCats

Posted on 09/24/2007 7:09:00 AM PDT by DancesWithCats

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20942178/

County officials concerned donated pastries will contribute to health ills

Updated: 11:41 a.m. MT Sept 23, 2007

MAHOPAC, N.Y. - It was just another morning at the senior center: Women were sewing, men were playing pool — and seven demonstrators, average age 76, were picketing outside, demanding doughnuts.

They wore sandwich boards proclaiming, "Give Us Our Just Desserts" and "They're Carbs, Not Contraband."

At issue is a decision to refuse free doughnuts, pies and breads that were being donated to senior centers around Putnam County, north of New York City. Officials were concerned that the county was setting a bad nutritional precedent by providing mounds of doughnuts and other sweets to seniors.

The picketers said they were objecting not to a lack of sweets but that they weren't consulted about the ban.

"Lack of respect is what it's all about," said Joe Hajkowski, 75, a former labor union official who organized the demonstration. He said officials had implied that seniors were gorging themselves on jelly doughnuts and were too senile to make the choice for themselves.

C. Michael Sibilia said, "I'm 86, not 8."

Inside, some seniors said they missed the doughnuts but others said they were glad to see them go.

"It was disgusting the way people went after them," said 80-year-old Rita Jorgensen. "I think the senior center did them a favor by taking it away."

Stan Tuttle, coordinator of nutritional services for the county's Office for the Aging, said the program had gotten out of control. As many as 16 cases of breads, cakes and pastries were delivered, by various means, to the William Koehler Memorial Senior Center each day. Some were moldy and some had been stored overnight in the trunks of volunteers' cars, he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine; Society
KEYWORDS: caregivers; doughnuts; health; seniors
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To: Holicheese
In this corner, the handout-grabbing oldsters.

In this corner, the meddling nanny-state bureaucrats.

Now touch gloves and come out fighting!

21 posted on 09/25/2007 5:30:24 AM PDT by TheyConvictedOglethorpe
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To: TheyConvictedOglethorpe

In this corner, Gladys Mendlebaum. She weighs in at a sturdy 126 lbs. She is 95 years old and enjoys needlepoint. In the other corner is James Lee Oglesby. He is a graduate of the local community college and is a member of the Hillary 08 committee. He drives a 78 Volco station wagon and has his distinctive Goatee!
Well, this grudge match is brought to you by Ensure. When you don’t have time to eat cat food...Drink Ensure. And the good folks at Dunkin Donuts. MMM I love them chocolate frosted and the Ladies Delights...


22 posted on 09/25/2007 7:17:02 AM PDT by Holicheese (1-21-09 Hillary starts to destroy America!)
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To: Holicheese

The woman on the right with the sunglasses is actually Charlotte Baker, and she is my grandmother. Unfortunately, this is the picture that went out to the AP and it is incorrect.... I still can’t believe how much attention this is getting! She and Joe H. were on Foxnews yesterday and have gotten a call from Good Morning America!!!


23 posted on 09/26/2007 11:00:13 AM PDT by cityroamer
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; KlueLass; ...

Hell’s Wheelchairs ping.


24 posted on 09/26/2007 10:01:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Wednesday, September 12, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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