Nutrition Infrastructure Grant Brings Funding to Senior Aid Agencies
Santa Cruz County, CA – The Senior’s Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties has over the past year assisted in purchasing more than $600,000 of new equipment to help local agencies feed older adults. This one-time grant, awarded via the Older Americans Act of 1965, comes in addition to the Seniors Council’s normal annual operating budget of nearly $2 million, all of which benefits local older adults.
This recent grant has enabled service providers to purchase crucial nutrition infrastructure such as delivery vehicles, ovens, kitchen tools, and additional equipment necessary for preparing meals centrally and distributing them to the community. These much-needed investments will allow charter groups and volunteers to continue feeding and supporting local seniors for years to come.
Nutrition programs funded through the Seniors Council provide meals at five senior dining sites in Santa Cruz County and two sites in San Benito County. Among the many organizations receiving funds through the Seniors Council are Meals on Wheels, California Grey Bears, and Jovenes de Antaño. Home-delivered meals for homebound seniors are also offered in both counties.
The California Grey Bears provide free groceries to older adults via their Brown Bag program, and have already purchased a new all-electric delivery van using the grant funds. Additionally, they plan to purchase an electric forklift and an industrial oven for preparing hot meals.
“[F]or some seniors, the challenge extends to preparing food themselves. Receiving prepared meals can make the difference.” – Patty Talbott, Area Agency on Aging Administrator & Planner.
Jovenes de Antaño provides both congregate and take-away meals to seniors in San Benito County. They have contracted to purchase two new delivery vehicles as well as replacement parts for their walk-in freezer. Jovenes also offers a broad range of supportive services for older adults in the San Benito Country region.
Meals on Wheels delivers direct nutrition assistance via fresh and frozen meals seniors can enjoy at home, especially those who may be in rural or remote areas and thus have limited access to other services. Additional funding from this grant will enable the program to purchase a portable freezer and an additional delivery vehicle to expand their capacity.
Other agencies that received funding from this grant include the Santa Cruz Diversity Center, the cities of Watsonville and Scotts Valley, the Community Food Bank of San Benito Country, and Community Bridges.
The challenges faced by older adults are substantial. Today, ten percent of seniors have incomes at or below the federal poverty rate. The high cost of living in California complicates the issue. Thirty percent of California seniors fall in the gap between qualifying for aid under federal poverty guidelines and having enough income to live on.
A needs assessment conducted by the Seniors Council revealed that locally, one in every three older adults identified buying food as a challenge. By 2025 the overall number of food insecure seniors is projected to increase by fifty percent, as the youngest Baby Boomers reach age 60. Food insecure seniors are at increased risk for chronic health conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and depression, even when controlling for other factors such as income.
““When funding for programs serving our most vulnerable seniors is reduced or programs are eliminated, the needs don’t go away. It can actually push them into more costly levels of care” –Clay Kempf, Executive Director of the Seniors Council.
Ensuring that aid agencies have the necessary tools and resources is vital to meet this challenge. By investing in nutrition infrastructure now, the Seniors Council helps ensure that this growing population ages will be able to age with dignity in their community.
The Seniors Council operates the Area Agency on Aging for Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties under the guidelines of the Older Americans Act of 1965.
The main Seniors Council office is located at 234 Santa Cruz Ave., Aptos, CA 95003.
ABOUT THE SENIORS COUNCIL
The Seniors Council is a community-based non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization providing services in Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and Santa Clara Counties, EIN 94-2662950. It is the mission of the Seniors Council to enable older persons to function with independence and dignity in their homes and in the community to their fullest capacity.
To fulfill our mission the Council operates a variety of programs in Santa Cruz, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties. For more information, please visit our resources below:
CONTACT US
For more information, visit our website at https://www.seniorscouncil.org
Please email inquiries to: Contact@seniorscouncil.org
Or call us at: (831) 688-0400
SENIORS COUNCIL RESOURCES
Project SCOUT volunteers provide free tax-preparation and assistance:
https://www.seniorscouncil.org/programs/projectscout/
The Foster Grandparent Program connects senior volunteers with local children, so they can
tutor and mentor kids in a classroom environment:
https://www.seniorscouncil.org/programs/fostergrandparent/
The Companion for Life Project offers personal emergency response equipment that can
summon help for seniors when it is needed, as well as offering services to help prevent falls at
home: https://www.seniorscouncil.org/programs/companionforlife/
Senior Companion Project volunteers visit individuals having difficulty with daily living tasks in
their homes to provide peer support and a friendly face, so they can continue to live
independently: https://www.seniorscouncil.org/programs/seniorcompanion/
