The Council on Aging of Central Oregon Will Use Funds to Provide Home-Delivered Meals to Hundreds of Older Adults at Nutritional Risk in Deschutes County
Bend, Ore., March 12, 2020 – The Council on Aging of Central Oregon today announced that the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant for home meal delivery to mobility-challenged seniors in Deschutes County. The grant is a $2,500 increase over last year’s award amount, as the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation puts increasing emphasis upon basic needs and ensuring more hungry people are fed.
Last year, the Council on Aging provided more than 82,000 home-delivered meals to seniors in Central Oregon through Meals on Wheels and partner programs. Hundreds of volunteers deliver meals and provide well-being checks on adults over the age of 60 who are at nutritional risk due to a lack of mobility, impaired cognition or another assessed reason.
“A growing number of seniors in Central Oregon are going hungry,” said Bernadette Handley, nutrition manager for the Council on Aging of Central Oregon. “Many are suffering cognitive decline and may forget to eat. Or they simply don’t have the physical mobility to get out and so grocery shopping, or stand in the kitchen and cook. Our home-delivered meals are designed to meet the specific nutritional needs of seniors, and we are so grateful for the continued support from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation to be able to serve our older adult neighbors.”
Central Oregon adults over 60 and contending with interim and long-term mobility challenges are eligible for Meals on Wheels service at no cost, and the program is not dependent on income level. To find out more, contact the Council on Aging of Central Oregon at (541) 678-5483 or councilonaging.org/services/meals-on-wheels.
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About the Council on Aging of Central Oregon
Since 1975, the Council on Aging has served as the designated Area Agency on Aging for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties, offering adults aged 60 and older and their loved ones a range of support services. A nonprofit organization, the Council on Aging advocates for, empowers and guides older adults and their loved ones to live with independence and well-being in age-friendly communities — places where infrastructure, policies and practices are developed to make the community livable, accessible and responsive to the needs of people of all ages, especially older adults.
Phone: (541) 678-5483
Website: www.councilonaging.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CouncilOnAgingOfCentralOregon
About the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation
The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation is a private, independent foundation representing the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The tribe established a grant making foundation in 1997 and awards annual grants to eligible nonprofit organizations in communities in Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lane counties. For more information about the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, visit www.cowcreekfoundation.org/.
Media Contact
Denise LaBuda
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications
Council on Aging of Central Oregon
(541) 678-5483
dlabuda@councilonaging.org
