Supporting our local economy and bringing comfort through food to seniors who are feeling isolated, alone, and forgotten during the pandemic
Council on Aging (COA) is seeking financial support from businesses and individuals to help sustain our award-winning COVID-19 comfort meal program, which has provided more than 47,000 restaurant meals to low-income older adults in our service area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We began the comfort meal program after receiving additional federal funding to expand meal service to vulnerable older adults during the pandemic. As this funding runs out and the pandemic rages on, COA is seeking community support to continue this important program into 2021.
How the program works
Meals are prepared by nine local restaurants (four of them minority owned), picked up by COA service providers and delivered to seniors across COA’s service area, with a special focus on residents of low-income senior apartment buildings. The program’s goal is to bring comfort through food to seniors who are feeling isolated, alone and forgotten during the pandemic.
Who the program helps
Older adults have a higher risk for servere complications and death from COVID-19 than other age groups. In fact, in Ohio, 92 percent of all COVID-19 related deaths are in people age 60 and older. During this pandemic, COA has heard from many older adults in our community who never before needed help – they are afraid to go out, and they feel isoloated, alone and forgotten. For older adults, COA’s comfort meal program is connection to the outside world and a reminder that they have not been forgotten.
While the primary focus is low-income seniors who are suffering during the pandemic, the program is also providing a boost to our local economy. The restaurant industry has been extremely hard-hit from pandemic-related shutdowns and guidelines limiting dine-in service. We purchase all meals directly from local restaurants, helping them to keep the lights on and continue to employ their staff.
Donate today to feed vulnerable seniors tomorrow!
A recent grant from Humana’s Bold Goal initiative will help us continue the comfort meal program in three senior apartment buildings in our region during 2021. But with 78 such buildings in our service area, additional support is needed .
For example, a $5,000 donation will provide 650 meals. For an apartment building with 60 senior residents, that donation will provide one comfort meal per month for every resident for almost one year. COA has delivered comfort meals to 78 apartment buildings since the start of the program. In rural parts of COA’s service area, some home-delivered meals recipients in single-family homes also receive comfort meals.
It’s important to know that donations of any amount will help us feed more seniors. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to contribute any amount to help us sustain this important program.
Or, send a check made out to Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio to:
Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio
ATTN: Sandy Rodich
4601 Malsbary Road, Blue Ash, OH 45242
Please note the donation is for comfort meals.
Council on Aging is a 501(c)(3) and your donation may be tax deductible. Corporate donors who would like to discuss their donation in more detail may contact Anne Sells.
Other ways you can help
If you can’t make a donation, but have an idea for another way to help us sustain the comfort meal program, let us know! For example, Taste of Belgium – one of our program partner restaurants – is donating 10 percent of sales from certain menu items through the end of 2020.
Participating comfort meal restaurants
- LaRosa’s Pizzeria
- Taste of Belgium
- Frisch’s
- Chef Anthony Jordan
- La Soupe
- Neal’s Famous BBQ
- Beaugard’s Southern Bar B Que
- Quatman Cafe
- Big Jay’s Place