Cumberland County group ensures elderly are fed all week as Hurricane Dorian nears

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Cumberland County organization is preparing to deliver more than 400 emergency food boxes on Wednesday morning to the elderly in the area ahead of Hurricane Dorian.

The Cumberland County Council On Older Adults feeds about 400 elders in the county who can no longer cook for themselves or purchase meals.

For the past three months, 89-year-old Naomi Ruffin has been relying on the meals.

"But the meals help me because sometimes I never get around to cook anything," Ruffin said.

RELATED: Wind could be Hurricane Dorian's main danger in Cumberland County, officials say

The council offers the food Monday through Friday through a program called Meals on Wheels. However, with Hurricane Dorian approaching the North Carolina coast, the group will not be able to provide meals on Thursday or Friday.

That is why the council has prepared emergency boxes filled with non-perishable food. This will allow their elderly clients to have the supplies they need until Monday.

"I have water, I have a first-aid kit, (I'm going to) be locked up in my house," Ruffin said.

Along with food, the council will also provide their clients with important information.

"Telephone numbers and things of that nature. That they know who to call and who to get in contact with, if they were to have an emergency," CCCOOA Executive Director Dennis Bowmen said.

Ruffin said a cement wall partially surrounds her home and should prevent floodwaters from the nearby creek from getting close, but the hurricane itself doesn't scare her one bit.

"I'm not worried about it. I've lived my life, so why should I be afraid? If you do right by people, you'll have nothing to be afraid of," Ruffin said.