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Access to nutritious and healthy food changes lives.

Kaela Anderson, Regional Lead and Administrator at Ozark County Senior Center, received an email a few years ago introducing her to a gentleman on hospice that had been approved for home delivered meals. He was on oxygen 24/7, and had decreased mobility that prevented him from walking even short distances without having to stop. In addition, he wasn’t getting proper nutrition, which left him underweight.

After receiving two nutritious meals daily from the Senior Center, the gentleman gained 45 pounds, significantly improved his mobility, and was removed from hospice.

“Within four and a half months, he was a completely different human,” Kaela shared.

People in rural communities face additional barriers to accessing the necessities – food included. That’s why facilities like Ozark County Senior Center located in Gainesville, Missouri, are critical.

Kaela shared, “A lot of [people] may not even be able to pay for the fuel that it takes to get here, or say maybe their car has broken down, or their car needs new tires, or it needs to be registered, and they need new plates or new tags for the car. A lot of those additional bills for them are just unfeasible.”

Gainesville is home to around 770 people making it the largest town in Ozark County. The rural nature of the community impacts job opportunities. Many people live 15 to 20 minutes outside of city limits and Kaela says travel expenses and lack of public transportation makes having reliable transportation to jobs, the Senior Center, or anywhere else, difficult. On top of financial hardship and transportation barriers, the rural nature of the community also means fewer dining options in general.

Increased access to nutritious meals is just one of the ways the Ozark County Senior Center supports the community. With help from dedicated volunteers, older adults find community and have lunch at the facility five days a week. No financial contribution is required for seniors over 60 to dine-in for lunch, although Kaela says some make voluntary contributions when they can.

With only three staff—Kaela, the Culinary Lead and a Culinary Assistant—the Senior Center serves nearly 900 seniors each month. The Culinary Lead creates a lunch menu focused on what seniors who come in for lunch like best. Community members can also access carry out meals or home meals.

Kaela says the partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest is a game-changer.

“We are extremely grateful and blessed to be able to have the partnership that we do have with [Ozarks Food Harvest], because we are able to get so much more product than we would be able to get…”, Kaela said. “You’re allowing us to spread our budget, to maximize our budget.”

Kaela shared that community members have expressed extreme gratitude for the assistance they have been able to access through the Senior Center. Without them, many seniors would face isolation,
hunger and impossible tradeoffs. Ozarks Food Harvest is proud to partner with Ozark County Senior Center and support our neighbors in rural communities facing hunger. To learn more about the Senior Center visit senioragemo.org/locations/ozark-county-senior-ctr-2.