YOUNGSTOWN — Many of the area’s senior citizens’ sense of isolation has been compounded because of recent stay-at-home edicts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but special deliveries to their apartment complexes likely curbed their loneliness to a significant degree.

“This is a special opportunity to reach out to seniors in apartment complexes,” explained Sheila Triplett, the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership agency’s executive director. “Isolation makes things doubly hard. Many seniors are anxious and depressed.”

Many seniors citizens’ depression was probably replaced with joy, however, because they were the recipients of Easter dinners that several Mahoning Valley small business owners helped load then distribute Saturday afternoon at Jeffrey Chrystal Catering, 2315 Belmont Ave., on the North Side.

Beginning last week, the catering business helped prepare 632 individually wrapped meals consisting of smoked ham, green beans, au gratin potatoes, chicken-and-rice soup and chocolate cake, noted owner Jeff Chrystal.

Shortly after volunteers worked assembly-style fashion Saturday to remove them from a large moving truck, the dinners were placed in a caravan of vehicles that took them to be distributed at 13 senior high-rise apartment buildings throughout the county, including several as far away as Sebring. The building managers were then to give the dinners to the seniors.

“Friends called and wanted to donate funds, and at this time, people have to do their best to help each other out in this unfortunate situation,” Chrystal said.

Besides MYCAP, those who assisted with the effort were Edward and Diane Reese, Robert Wasko and family, Alan and Stan McCamon, Rick and Jodi Vernal and former State Sen. Joe Schiavoni and family.

Preceding the distribution of the meals was having coordinated with the Mahoning County Department of Job & Family Services to better identify those most in need, Schiavoni said.

“COVID-19 is hitting everybody hard, but it’s especially tough on our seniors,” he said in a statement. “They’re at a higher risk and may not be able to visit family right now. Easter is a celebration, so hopefully these meals will give people a sense of comfort and make them smile.”

Several residents of Heritage Apartments off Gypsy Lane on the North Side were smiling as Triplett and her husband, Bill, delivered trays that contained about 60 ham dinners.

The effort also left Sheila Triplett smiling.

“The seniors are so happy that a lot of them called our agency thanking us for doing this for them,” she said.

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