Founded 47 years ago, the Council on Aging of Central Oregon (COA) is the only organization with a sole focus on improving aging for thousands of older adults in Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and North Klamath counties.
Their mission is to advocate for, empower and guide older adults and their loved ones to live with independence and well-being, to create a healthy community for older adults. The organization delivers a wide range of services for older adults, from options counseling and in-home care to Medicare support, pet care and community meals.
Their largest program is Meals on Wheels, which utilizes volunteers to deliver meals throughout the four counties. Since 1984, Meals on Wheels program and its wrap-around services has transformed the lives of vulnerable seniors throughout South Deschutes County by preventing hunger and malnutrition, reducing social isolation and anxiety and depression experienced by many isolated older adults.
In 2022, the Sunriver Women’s Club awarded $5,070 to address upgrading and enhancing meal services in South Deschutes County. This grant helped with the cost of equipping volunteers and transit vehicles with food-safe transportation containers and also allowed for the reduction of service caps and wait lists for new Meals on Wheels clients.
The plan was to deliver hot Meals on Wheels meals to clients in South Deschutes County, starting once a week and expanding to as many as four days a week, replacing the frozen meals with fresh hot, nutritionally appropriate meals.
While the service equipment has been acquired, and much effort and negotiation has occurred with local La Pine organizations, the expected collaborative effort has not yet yielded a workable solution. COA remains committed and poised to move their fresh frozen (made in their Bend kitchen) entrees to a hot delivery. In the meantime, COA’s award continues to bear fruit (and fresh vegetables!) for seniors in the La Pine and Three Rivers area by allowing them to manage wait lists and prepare for the inevitable hot meal service that our award is making possible.
Between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, COA served 7,392 Meals on Wheels to 439 South Deschutes County clients and supported 4,039 congregate dining meals to 675 (duplicated) clients.
Thesu Chambers, board chair at the La Pine Activity Center said, “If it weren’t for the Council on Aging community dining program, a large percentage of our guests wouldn’t have anything to eat that day.”
