Senior Resource Guide - Ottumwa Courier 2025 | Page 11

HOME-DELIVERED MEALS

For homebound seniors, meals delivered right to their doors may be an attractive, but limited, option.

In Ottumwa, Milestones delivers hot meals prepared by staff, one meal a day four days a week, Monday- Thursday to clients inside Ottumwa, said Lisa Harwood, Milestones’ nutrition director based in Burlington. It arranges for Mom’ s Meals— frozen meals prepared by the company of the same name – to be delivered by FedEx to clients. Mom’ s Meals are limited to five a week, delivered every two weeks, Harwood said.

All told, Milestones delivers meals to about 80 clients in Wapello County, Harwood said. The number of clients is capped only by what Milestones’ funding will let them serve.

“ We do have a wait list on the home delivered meal program unfortunately because of funding,” Harwood said.“ We have a wait list on all of our home delivered meals.”

Milestones delivers Mom’ s Meals to about 20 clients in Mahaska County, but doesn’ t deliver hot meals.

Around Oskaloosa, hot meals are provided by Homestead.

Homestead delivers one meal a day, seven days a week, to clients, Fuller said. The meals are whatever the kitchen has prepared for residents for the day.

Fuller likened her service to“ Door Dash for the elderly,” meaning seniors can put in a request for a meal the day before.

“ We’ d like a 24 hour notice, but we’ ve never turned anybody away,” Fuller said.

Homestead’ s meals cost $ 9.10, are billed at the end of the month, and they accept private pay or Medicaid, Fuller said.

In Knoxville, the Knoxville Senior Center delivers about 90 warm meals a day( fewer in summer, more in winter) to Knoxville seniors, said Kay Bauer, board secretary at the center. Because the senior center gets funding from Aging Resources of Central Iowa, they can’ t charge for the meals. Instead, they ask customers for a suggested but voluntary donation of $ 5.50.

Knoxville Senior Center delivers one hot meal a day, Monday-Thursday, and a cold meal Friday.

The rest of Marion County can have frozen meals delivered from Mom’ s Meals. If you sign up through the Senior Nutrition Program at Marion County Public Health, clients may qualify for a sliding scale on price, said Del Bennett, one of the community coordinators with MCPH.

POP-UP PANTRIES

Food Bank of Iowa supplies local food pantries in 55 of Iowa’ s counties, said Annette Hacker, a spokeswoman for the organization. Food Bank of Iowa sends mobile food pantries into some communities monthly to help address food needs, Hacker said.

The Food Bank sends the mobile food pantries to areas where the food need exceeds the capacity of local food pantries or other resources to meet.

“ If we’ re providing a mobile pantry, it means we’ re not getting enough food in that part of the country,” Hacker said.

Food Bank of Iowa is funded entirely through donations, Hacker said. About a third of its food is“ rescued,” or nearing its expiration date, mislabeled or surplus, and thus not fit to be sold. Food Bank buys the rest of its food.

“ Because the need is so high,” Hacker said.“ Bottom line, there are more people than ever who need help with food, food costs more, and it costs more to get it here. And we’ re seeing less support from USDA.”

When mobile food pantries appear in communities, cars are already lined up waiting.

“ That’ s the scarcity mentality,” Hacker said.“ They fear there won’ t be enough. And when you’ re someone who struggles with food insecurity … that’ s the mindset.”

“ You won’ t see someone rushing in at the last minute for food distribution. They show up quite early.”

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