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From Meghan Haenel’s first day at Senior Age-Alton, she knew that she would make lasting relationships.

“Getting a ‘thank you’ note from a senior about the good food or them calling to express how much they appreciate us are things that truly soothe the soul,” Meghan, regional lead in Oregon County, shared.

Senior Age-Alton offers meals, activities, Medicare enrollment and tax assistance to seniors in Oregon County. The dedicated employees and volunteers also provide a fun and upbeat environment for the seniors they serve.

“We have three full-time staff members who are full of energy and are so welcoming to the seniors,” Meghan said. “They adore their jobs, and their passion is contagious. We also have volunteers who do meal delivery, and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them. We are like a family.”

Senior Age-Alton partners with The Food Bank to support its delivery and in-center dining food programs.

“This partnership with Ozarks Food Harvest helps extend our limited funding so we can serve more seniors in the community,” Meghan shared.

Before the pandemic, Senior Age-Alton welcomed seniors to its facilities for conversation and meals. As the COVID-19 crisis raged on, the organization was forced to pause the conversation and close the center to the public. But, thanks to Ozarks Food Harvest, Senior Age-Alton still had food to get out the door.

“Shutting down the centers to the public was certainly a shock and took some getting used to, but we were able to continue our Homebound Meal program without interruption,” Meghan explained. “We were also able to offer a Hot Meal TO-GO curbside at least once per month while we were shut down. This was increased to weekly in May and has been very appreciated by our seniors.”

Looking forward, the center is excited to offer in-person dining again in July to restart the conversation. Meghan is also thrilled to get to see the seniors she has missed for so long.

“I think the future is bright. Many people realized what the Senior Centers bring to the community, and we are very anxious to get back to ‘business as usual’ with in-center dining resuming in July,” she shared. “We have missed our seniors, and we know they’ve missed us, too!”

Thank you, Senior Age-Alton, for partnering with us to provide meals to seniors in the Ozarks! To learn more about the agency’s many programs, visit senioragemo.org.