The Funds will be used to Provide Home-Delivered Meals to Older Adults to Keep Them Safe and Living Independently
Bend, Ore., January 28, 2021 – The Council on Aging of Central Oregon today announced that the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation has awarded a $12,000 grant for Meals on Wheels programming in Deschutes County. The Council on Aging will use the funds to provide home-delivered meals to adults aged 60+ who are at nutritional risk due to decreased mobility, lack of ability to stand and prepare a meal or are unable to shop and carry groceries on their own.
“The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation continues to support one of our most important programs – Meals on Wheels,” said Susan Rotella, Executive Director for the Council on Aging of Central Oregon. “Their generous and sustained support, especially now during COVID-19, allows us to serve many more older adults in Deschutes County with home-delivered meals and a regular wellness check by a friendly volunteer. We are grateful for the $29,500 they have provided over the past three years to help us in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable community members.”
“Our Foundation is excited to support the Council on Aging of Central Oregon because the delivery of Meals on Wheels is so critical for older adults who are homebound,” said Carma Mornarich, Foundation Director for the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. “We believe that no one should go hungry, and Meals on Wheels is an important and proven program to help support seniors, not only with food, but also with regular contact from volunteers.”
Meals on Wheels is a well-known public-private partnership that effectively addresses the challenges of aging by promoting health and improving quality of life for at-risk seniors. With the Meals on Wheels network in Deschutes County, the community has the opportunity to keep seniors healthy and independent at home, where they want to be, and keep them out of more costly healthcare alternatives.
Each year the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation makes grants to eligible non-profit organizations in communities in Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lane counties. We are thankful for their commitment investing in basic needs to provide food and shelter so families can stop worrying about where their next meal will come from.
Central Oregon adults over 60 and contending with interim and long-term mobility challenges are eligible for Meals on Wheels service at no cost. 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 non-profit 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 liveable, accessible and responsive to the needs of people of all ages, especially older adults.
Website: www.councilonaging.org
Phone: (541) 678-5483
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 non-profit organizations in communities in Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lane counties. For more information about the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, visit: https://www.cowcreekfoundation.org/
Media Contact
Denise LaBuda
Director, Strategy and Communications
Council on Aging of Central Oregon
(541) 678-5483
dlabuda@councilonaging.org
