Community Corner

Meal Changes Announced for Washtenaw County Seniors

Changes to meal programs will go into effect on Oct. 1.

The following information was provided in a recent press release from the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development.


The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development’s (OCED) Senior Nutrition Program includes congregate meals and home delivered meals (Meals on Wheels) programs.


Congregate meals are held in locations such as local senior centers and offer seniors an opportunity to socialize and share a meal with others. Meals on Wheels programs deliver meals to seniors who are unable to leave their homes or make a meal for themselves.

In an effort to provide cost-savings and better continuity for seniors if they need to move from one program to another, OCED will be implementing a number of changes to the Senior Nutrition Program throughout the county beginning on October 1, 2013.

Changes will be implemented at all sites throughout Washtenaw County with the exception of areas served by Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels and Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels since these are stand-alone non-profit organizations. The three main
changes are:

Co-location of Congregate and Home Delivered Meal Programs (Meals on Wheels)
Many seniors have short-term health issues which require them to temporarily use the Meals on Wheels program. Having both programs operating through the same organization saves on administrative costs, and makes it easier for participants to move back and forth between the programs.

Housing both programs at the local senior center
The Senior Nutrition Program and senior centers are complementary. Seniors will often go to senior centers for meals and stay for senior activities or vice versa. Senior centers are locations that provide a lot of resources, events, and activities that are specific to seniors. Having the meal programs at a senior center means that seniors participating in congregate meals and Meals on Wheels can more easily get connected with information about what is available to them.

Increased investment in local communities
All these new changes will allow OCED to reduce the amount of money spent on OCED administration and staff. These savings will result in more money being passed onto to support the senior nutrition programs in the local communities.
OCED has been working with every congregate meal and Meals on Wheels location to ensure a smooth transition on October 1st, 2013. Participants should experience no disruption in service.

Questions regarding the changes may be directed toward Lotus Yu at 734-714-9854 or yulotus@ewashtenaw.org.




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