Ceil’s Meals Dream

Azura Memory Care of Sheboygan’s resident, Cecelia Deprey, started her own Meals on Wheels program in 2015 that she called “Ceil’s Meals.” With the help of Azura’s MOSAIC Dreams Program, Ceil will be heading back to the church that it all began at to serve up her famous meals once again to the community. “So what was this all about? Ceil had doubts that not everyone understood the meaning behind “Ceil’s Meals.” Her mission, as it was ST. Benedict’s in Milwaukee, was to provide carefully prepared health food to anyone and everyone, without cost. This was done with kindness and respect. “Ceil’s Meals” was a tangible example of one of her many facets which makes Ceil such a unique individual.” Ceil started her “Ceil’s Meals” by running all over Sheboygan county to get the best ingredients for the fairest price, and then figuring out what she could make from there. Then, every month, she would gather the supplies she needed (and mentions she always stopped somewhere good for lunch on her escapades). Friday’s were long days of preparation, but Ceil had a wonderful team behind her that made the magic happen. The last Saturday of every month was the big day. What was most important to “Ceil’s Meals” was providing the community with an opportunity to come together in fellowship around food. But this was not ordinary food – it was food that fed the body and the soul of Sheboygan. The people who came were not only from church, but people from all over the county. No food was ever wasted or leftover, as any leftovers were carefully packaged and sent home with the guests. Before Ceil’s dementia diagnosis, she was the heart of the Sheboygan community and ended up writing a book about her life and her work. We learned what an amazing woman Ceil is when she moved into Azura of Sheboygan, and she had always talked about wanting to go back to the church and volunteer. Azura’s MOSAIC Dreams Program works with businesses to make senior’s dreams come true, and we saw this as a perfect opportunity for Ceil! On Saturday, April 29th, at First Congregational Church in Sheboygan, Ceil will be volunteering with her church and serving her community with their Meals on Wheels program. Ceil is an incredible woman with such an amazing story, and we can’t wait to make this dream come true for her!