Why We Deliver Lunch to Every Senior Who Asks
The Senior Center is proud to be part of this community. We are humbled by all the work being done by so many individuals and organizations to care for one another during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are honored to be of service to seniors on Vashon. The past six months have challenged us in ways we couldn’t have imagined, but thanks to the generosity of individuals, organizations, and volunteers, we have been able to adapt to the changing needs of older adults. Our staff has risen to the challenges of creating a meal delivery program seemingly overnight and shifting our programs from on-site to virtual. Our board of directors has proven once again how valuable they are to all of us by supporting staff and working long hours themselves to keep the work of the Senior Center going.
Growing older can be challenging at any time, but the coronavirus has made it even more difficult by creating additional barriers to continued good health. Seniors are part of the highest‐risk population, and while staying safe means staying home, it also means losing companionship, conversations and social engagements. Seniors from every income level are affected by the pandemic. Losing connection to others is difficult, and isolation is taking a toll on many of us.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, social isolation significantly increases a person's risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity, and is also associated with an increased risk of dementia. Isolation can also have a negative impact on a person’s mental well‐being and can lead to depression, which in turn can lead to lack of motivation, loss of appetite and skipping meals – or worse. Poor diet is directly related to poor health, falls, physical decline, and the acceleration of pre‐existing conditions. Isolation and poor nutrition are a dangerous combination in the elderly.
We know the extended isolation has been hard – we hear over and over that many seniors are lonely, depressed, and even afraid. Many have turned to the Senior Center to augment not only their meals, but also for a brief respite from being alone. Our lunch delivery volunteers are often the only other people many of our seniors see on a regular basis. A meal, a smile, and knowing that someone cares has proven to be a good antidote to loneliness. The coronavirus crosses all socio‐economic lines and extended isolation can take a toll on anyone. We are committed to serving any senior who asks us for assistance regardless of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, political leaning, language, class, or socio-economic status.
The Senior Center has been cooking on-site and delivering nutritious lunches to seniors three days a week since early March, and requests for lunch delivery increased quickly from 15 per day to nearly 80 per day and show no signs of abating. The demand for home delivery has surpassed our expectations, both in terms of the volume of requests and in the positive impact the program is having on isolated seniors. We've delivered more than 4000 lunches since early March, a 30% increase over on-site meals in 2019. We anticipate demand will continue through the fall and winter.
Just as with our on-site meals pre-COVID, we ask for a donation of $5.00 per lunch. Our actual cost per meal is $10.38 (food costs, staff time, program coordination, volunteer management, background checks on volunteers, etc.). With such a jump in the number of lunches to prepare each day, other costs of the meals program have also increased – everything from increased gas and electricity expenses to the purchase of compostable to-go containers for the lunches. Nearly 70% of our lunch recipients pay for their meals. For seniors on a fixed income, we have been able to provide lunch three days a week at no charge thanks to caring and generous individual donors and local organizations. Every donation helps defray the costs to feed low-income seniors who might otherwise be facing food insecurity and also supplements our increased meals program expenses.
Our lunch delivery program could not operate without volunteers. We currently have 52 volunteers who deliver lunches in same-household teams of two all across Vashon and Maury. Each delivery shift takes a team two hours to pack lunches, load lunch bags into cars, and make deliveries. Each delivery team has 12-15 houses on their daily route. On every delivery day, these dedicated volunteers donate 20 hours of their time, and to date have donated more than 1,500 hours of their time to the program. If we had to pay staff for this work at a rate of $15/hour, that would equal nearly $23,000. The Senior Center is extremely grateful for the gift of time each volunteer donates and for being our main connection out in the community. If you are interested in being a delivery driver, please email our volunteer coordinator at coordinator@vashoncenter.org.
If you or a senior you know is interested in having lunch delivered or would like to make a donation to support the lunch program, please contact the Center at 206-463-5173. Thank you, Vashon!