COVID-19 Grant Helps Meet Increased Need for Meals

CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions has received a Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund grant in the amount of $25,000. The costs and efforts associated with protecting seniors from COVID-19 require additional emergency funds, and this grant helps CICOA meet the needs of vulnerable seniors during this unprecedented time.

The Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund grant allows CICOA’s Meals & More service to distribute additional nutritious meals to keep seniors safe and healthy. According to Meals & More Director Lisa Schneekloth, Meals & More will use this funding to provide weekend meals for clients, which are in addition to the weekday meal service.

“The work you are doing in your community is more vital now than ever, and we hope this emergency funding will help support your program and the seniors you serve. We are truly appreciative of how you adapt and overcome to deliver on our collective mission,” said Lucy Theilheimer, chief strategy and impact officer for Meals on Wheels America.

Just three weeks after establishing the Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund, Meals on Wheels America has distributed more than $2.2 million in emergency funding to local senior nutrition providers actively responding to the evolving COVID-19 crisis across the country. To date, 148 local providers have been awarded grants of up to $25,000. Grants will continue to be awarded as funding permits.

“With all Americans being urged to remain at home, we are experiencing a new wave of homebound seniors who may not know from where their next meal will come,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “Local programs, such as CICOA’s Meals & More service, are uniquely positioned to reach these at-risk individuals and are working tirelessly to adapt to the rapidly evolving situation, deliver meals safely and respond to an unprecedented increase in need.”