County

Lap 2 Meals On Wheels

Looks like the meals on wheels deal is more complex than we thought. Lots of government agencies involved, contracts, liabilities, certifications.

We hear of commercial providers in the potential running to take over from Central District Health to serve up meals to needy senior citizens. Commish Ullman discusses the potential of inmates using the jail kitchen to cook up some good works on her BLOG.

This came in from the PR department of Central Health:
Meals On Wheels and the meals served at Senior Centers in Ada and Elmore counties are done so under contract with the Southwest Idaho Area Agency on Aging (Area III.) Central District Health is getting out of the business because the agency’s subsidy of the program has continued to increase as the grant dollars from Area III shrink. CDHD’s subsidy of the program is about $215,000 a year for both programs (Meals On Wheels and congregate dining.)

To date no other agency has been offered a contract to pick up where CDHD is leaving off. Conversations have been held with representatives of Life’s Kitchen, but the deal is far from being made. For clarification interested/concerned citizens should contact Area III’s Director Lori Brelia at 322-7033 Ext 250 to establish the current status on identifying one or more new contractors.

CDHD has offered to assist in every way possible to insure a smooth transition so that no senior goes without a meal. That offer of assistance includes sharing its list of dedicated volunteers who use their own vehicles to deliver the meals to homebound seniors.
There is no reason to reinvent the system of delivery, in fact one of the employees who will be laid off has years of expertise in recruiting volunteers, mapping routes and scheduling deliveries. She would love to be hired by the next contractor.

Comments & Discussion

Comments are closed for this post.

Comments are closed.

Get the Guardian by email

Enter your email address:

Categories