The first Meals on Wheels delivery since a pipe burst in the organization's offices Dec. 31 went off pretty well.

Mary Pataky, executive director of Butler Meals on Wheels, said the meals for her clients now are being made in the kitchen at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church hall off Center Avenue.

While the Meals on Wheels kitchens weren't damaged by the burst pipe, Pataky worried about the particles that could be airborne during the drying and renovation process.

When she decided to move to a temporary kitchen, Pataky contacted the Rev. Harry Bielewicz, the priest at three Catholic churches in the city, to see if Meals on Wheels could use one of the church kitchens to prepare meals until repairs are complete.

“He offered St. Michael's on Center Avenue,” she said.

Since Saturday, Pataky, her staff and volunteers have been braving the frigid weather to move cooking gear from their former kitchen at St. Peter's Anglican Church on East Jefferson Street to the new temporary kitchen at St. Michael.

Roberta McCaslin, Butler Meals on Wheels cook for 35 years, had to get accustomed to a new kitchen and the location of all the utensils and equipment she needs to cook the life-sustaining meals for those who cannot cook for themselves.

“She's used to a gas stove and St. Michael's is electric,” Pataky said. “But she was a trooper and she did a great job.”

She said the St. Michael kitchen will be a fine accommodation until repairs are made at St. Peter's Anglican.

The first meal was to be delivered Monday, but meals were canceled because of the extreme cold.

Staff and volunteers prepared 105 meals of chicken, rice, green beans, bread, milk, fruit, yogurt and chips at St. Michael Tuesday.

“The people at St. Michael's are wonderful and so accommodating,” Pataky said. “They just let us go in and take over and it's been amazing.”

Larry Rottman, a volunteer at St. Michael who oversees activities at the church hall, said the large kitchen had been used to prepare meals for the students who attended the former St. Michael Catholic Elementary School.

He said the ample parking plus the hall where the meals are assembled make the facility a perfect temporary home for Meals on Wheels.

“They need a space and it's for a very good cause,” Rottman said. “They're community oriented, and we're glad to help them.”

Pataky said major renovation work has not begun at the St. Peter's facility, where the burst pipe soaked everything with hot water, including dry food, paper products, office supplies, furniture, printers and other electronics and the floor and walls.

The staff has been busy cataloging every item damaged by the water before tossing it into a large dumpster.

“We completely filled that thing up,” she said. “We haven't even had time to sit down and look at (the cost of the renovation).”

A restoration company has completed work drying out the walls and carpet. The next step, Pataky said, is to remove the ceiling and replace it.

While Meals on Wheels has insurance that will cover much of the damage, Pataky said the donations that have been rolling in from the public will be indispensable in getting the organization up and running as it was before.

“We're insured, but it won't cover everything we have lost, unfortunately,” she said. “That's where these donations are really helping us out, to offset the difference, so we are grateful for that.”

Pataky has no idea when the renovation on the offices will be complete, but the negative situation was turned around for her when the community reached out to help.

Pataky visited the Butler Eagle on Tuesday, where she collected a check for $4,300. That money was raised through a fundraiser in which the Eagle's general manager, Ron Vodenichar, and his wife, Linda, decided to donate $1 for each hoagie sold at The Hoagie Shop on Friday, up to $250.

The Butler Eagle pledged the same amount, and donation boxes were placed at each of the two Hoagie Shop locations Friday.

In addition, Vodenichar enlisted the financial help of many friends to raise the amount given to Pataky yesterday.

Vodenichar and the Eagle chose The Hoagie Shop because the business donated 170 hoagies to Meals on Wheels a few days after the pipe burst. Each client received one hot and one cold hoagie, plus side items funded by a Slippery Rock donor.

“Everyone has stepped up and made donations and phone calls to see what we need,” an overwhelmed Pataky said. “I just feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful community.”

She said articles in the Eagle since the pipe burst have prompted many individuals and organizations to offer help.

“It really has brought a lot of awareness,” Pataky said. “We know how important our clients are to us and how much they appreciate everything, but to see the community help like they have is so amazing.”