Positive changes coming to Senior Dining

     Lisa Tallman, Senior Dining director, was at the May 23 Board of Supervisors meeting to talk about some potential changes coming to the countywide program.

     The board did approve the Fiscal Year 2018 Senior Dining contract with Heritage Agency on Aging.

     Tallman said she’s asking Heritage to fund 2,041 meals at $4.53 each until July 1. After that date, things will look to change.

     Tallman said Jones County Senior Dining would get to keep all local donations and suggested contributions without sending them to Heritage. The reimbursement from Heritage will also decrease.

     “But, this will mean less reimbursement to us,” she said of Heritage’s new contract.

     Tallman estimates the contributions would amount to roughly a couple thousand dollars for the local program.

     “But we can change our asking price,” she warned. “We’ve been wanting to up the price for a while now, but never could.”

     The thought is to go from $3 to $4 as the suggested meal contribution, “or whatever they can afford,” offered Tallman.

     Right now, all donations and contributions are deposited at various banks in the county. After July 1, those funds will all come to the Auditor’s Office for deposit for the program.

     Tallman would also take over reports from County Auditor Janine Sulzner.

     “It’ll hopefully simplify things for me and my staff,” Tallman said of not having volunteers run donations around and drop deposit slips off at her office.

     She said contributions from home-delivered meals would be kept separate.

     “I think this transition will go pretty good,” she said.

     Marilyn Gray of Wyoming was also present at the meeting, expressing some concerns she heard from people regarding what Heritage will or will not fund after July 1.

     “Some people see it as a loss,” she told the board.

     “It’s a benefit,” said Supervisor Lloyd Eaken. “Even though the reimbursement is less per meal, now we get to keep all of the contributions.”

     Gray said there have also been concerns that home-delivered meals will drop.

     “That’s not a good thing,” she said.

     Supervisor New Rohwedder explained that home-delivered meals were adjusted from every day to three days a week, with frozen meals also offered to supplement the off days.

     Sulzner also reminded everyone that Jones County gives $10,000 a year to the program “and always covers the shortfall, if any.”

     “This is unique because not every county in the state does this,” commented Supervisor Jon Zirkelbach of the county supporting senior dining.

     Gray said, “Our county has an older population that really needs this program.”