STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Senior Connection is getting a new Meals on Wheels vehicle, thanks to Blaine County.
The county has received a $49,911 Community Development Block Grant for Public Services from the Idaho Department of Commerce. The grant was made possible by the CARES Act and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support activities addressing the coronavirus pandemic.
The Senior Connection started 2020 delivering 125 meals per week to homebound seniors. By April it was delivering 600 meals a week, prompting an additional route and more costs for food and packaging.
The increase in the number of meals being delivered during the coronavirus pandemic put extra stress on their three meal delivery vehicles, ultimately causing one of them to break down.
The meal count is down a little now as some seniors have felt safe to emerge from their homes. But the Senior Connection is still delivering 500 meals per week, with its volunteer drivers chalking up more than 600 miles a week.
The new vehicle will be outfitted with refrigeration systems and holding ovens. The staff at the Senior Connection are hopeful that they will be able to use the funds to purchase a new vehicle this spring and have it ready to be put to use by July 2021.
Commissioner Angenie McCleary stressed how important the Meals on Wheels service is during the pandemic to meet the basic needs of seniors, while providing important social interactions.
“The number of people that the Senior Connection feeds is amazing. They do a great job,” added Blaine County Commissioner Jacob Greenberg.
The Senior Connection was founded in 1971 to provide essential services to Blaine County seniors. Annually, the nonprofit organization based in Hailey serves more than 750 seniors on a regular basis, providing 25,000 meals, 5,000 rides, 8,500 hours of caregiving services, 4,000 hours of adult memory/day care and more than 300 classes and activities.
The Senior Connection is the only Meals on Wheels provider in Blaine County. It costs $5 to provide a meal for a senior. For more information, visit https://seniorconnectionidaho.org/