Seniors can rest easy — for now — on meals

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Seniors in Marion County are wondering whether Meals on Wheels and Friendship Meals could be the next to be hit after lack of federal financial support halted delivery of bimonthly commodities and an area agency on aging abruptly canceled its contract food service delivering meals for its 10 counties.

“Everybody here, they’re very concerned,” county aging department director Lu Turk said.

Friendship Meals and Meals on Wheels in Marion County are not in danger, Turk said.

South Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging this month canceled its contract with food provider Everfull. That ended service to nearly 900 seniors in Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Kingman, McPherson, Sumner, Reno, and Rice counties.

A $100,000 emergency grant from Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services continued services. Meals will resume with a different food provider.

Turk said it was no surprise seniors in the county are concerned when nearby counties lost meal programs.

“It’s more than just a meal,” Turk said. “It’s someone to check on them.”

Marion County seniors can even get frozen meals — created from food left over from daily meals — so they can eat over the weekend.

Delivery people report if someone didn’t answer the door or was not home.

At times, someone will go check on the person.

“They just need that human touch,” Turk said.

Turk asked North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging friendship meals supervisor Linda Sipple, who said counties in its jurisdiction were safe, at least for now.

Hillsboro’s senior center serves the most meals at its site, an average of 1,971 meals a month.

Marion’s senior center provides friendship meals to an average of 514 seniors a month, pickup meals to 479 a month, and delivered meals to 118 seniors a month.

Peabody’s senior center is not doing as well, she said.

“They have to serve at least 44 people daily to make it work, and they’ve only been doing about 22,” Turk said.

That number could mean Peabody’s program would end for lack of participation.

Peabody also is struggling to find a cook after its cook was injured.

KDADS deputy secretary Andy Brown said the Kansas Legislature passed a budget that provided an additional $1 million to the agency.

“We’ll put together a grant program that they can apply to if a need exists,” Brown said.