- April 19, 2024
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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to provide services to the senior population of Volusia County has doubled, and the Council of Aging launched into action.
In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, COA delivered 377,805 meals, a number that is 110% greater than the meals the nonprofit delivered in the last pre-pandemic fiscal year of 2018-2019.
“The need exploded when seniors began self-isolating," said COA's chief development officer, Penny Young-Carrasquillo.
According to COA, 94% of its Meals on Wheels clients in Volusia County live below the poverty line, and about one in four seniors live alone. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Young-Carrasquillo said the nonprofit had enough funds thanks to grants and donors' support to keep providing meals to the seniors, whether that was through their dining sites or through Meals on Wheels. As restaurants struggled in the beginning months, COA was also able to partner with some restaurants for the meal program.
Pets weren't left behind either; In 2021, COA delivered over $6,000 worth of pet food and supplies to seniors through its PetMeals on Wheels program.
But the nonprofit quickly realized that the need wasn't just temporary for many of the seniors COA began supporting. Knowing that emergency funds were likely to run out at the end of 2021, COA launched its $100k Meals Match Challenge.
As a result, COA has raised over $108,000, which will allow them to draw down the same dollar figure from state and federal grants. COA estimates this will translate to about 20,000 more meals for Volusia County seniors in 2022.
With dedicated volunteers, some of whom have been donating their time for over 20 years, COA hopes 2022 allows them to expand outreach opportunities in the community, especially in regards to educational programs. COA has started BebOld, a senior empathy program sponsored by progressive medical research, that allows people to experience some of the issues seniors deal with on a daily basis, such as muscular degenerations, hearing loss and arthritis.
“The senior population is just exploding here and we’re just working really hard to keep up," Young-Carrasquillo said. "We know there’s a lot more to be done."
