MANSFIELD— Rhonda Sylvester wrote a love letter with seasoned veggies and mac and cheese.
In the banquet room of the event center on Orange Street, she smiled and hugged a room of family and friends — mostly senior citizens.
A chef and owner of Flippin’ Good Seasoning, she’s decided to use her skillset to give back. For about a year and a half, she’s partnered with Yes, We Can Seniors to provide nutritious monthly meals free of charge.
But Friday’s gathering was extra special for Sylvester. She and the Flip N Good Kitchen team served up soup, sandwiches, fruits, hot vegetables and dessert Friday afternoon. Sylvester handed out lollipops and Christmas presents donated by the community.
Before the meal began, Sylvester reflected on how the people gathered there had shaped her life.
“It’s not all the time you can get everybody in one room while you ain’t on your back,” she said, the passion of a preacher in her voice.
“I have been through the wringer, but when you’ve been through as much as I’ve been through, you got to give it back. You have to say thank you. You have to show people what they put into you.
“This is my love letter to each and every one of you.”
Life hasn’t always been peaches and cream for Sylvester. She’s dealt with heart health issues and went through a period of active addiction.
“There’s one person in here in particular who’s saved my life twice,” she said. “I have people who knew I was wrong and said ‘Hey, what are you going to do?’ I have people that snatched me out of places that I didn’t have no business being in.”
Sylvester said she plans to continue monthly meals with Yes, We Can Seniors in 2025. SC Event Center has even agreed to donate their space for the meals.
She hopes to incorporate other services into the monthly meals, like health screenings and a workshop on how to block spam calls.
“I have a team of people who believe in the same thing that I believe and that’s giving back and helping out,” Sylvester said.
“Sometimes people slip through the cracks. I’m going to ask each and every one of them every single time: ‘Is everything ok? Are you felling safe? Do you need anything?'”
Mary McDonald, who founded and continues to run Yes We Can Seniors, said she appreciated Sylvester’s efforts.
“It’s mind-blowing that she wanted to do this for us,” she said.
Yes We Can Seniors meets Thursdays and Fridays at 271 Hedges St., but will meet at SC Event Center each first Friday for meals.
“We exercise. We play bowling. We do crafts,” McDonald said. “We’re the ‘Yes We Can’ — that means we can do whatever we want to do.”
“When you reach this point in your life, you may feel like it’s ended but it’s not. We might be retired but we’re no tired,” McDonald added. “It enhances us when we get together. It strengthens us.”
Yes We Can participant Renatha Gilmore agreed.
“I love getting together. Everyone thinks we’re shut-ins, but we aren’t,” she said. “We’re still active and viable in the community, so it’s good to see this many of us come together.”