Foundation grant assists Meals on Wheels in Deschutes County

The Council on Aging of Central Oregon announced Friday that the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation has awarded a $7,500 grant for Meals on Wheels programming in Deschutes County.

The Council on Aging will use the funds to provide home-delivered meals to adults over the age of 60 who are at nutritional risk due to a lack of mobility, impaired cognition or another assessed reason.

“The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation has provided funding for several years for Meals on Wheels,” said Susan Rotella, executive director for the Council on Aging of Central Oregon. “Their generous and continued support provides hundreds of older adults in Deschutes County with home-delivered meals and a wellness check, often on a daily basis.

“Last year, we served more than 32,000 home-delivered meals through our programs in Bend, La Pine and Sisters. We are grateful for the assistance of the foundation in meeting the needs of our most vulnerable friends and neighbors.”

The foundation awards grants in five primary categories: Basic needs, abuse prevention and intervention, education, health and wellness, and community support for projects and activities. The Meals on Wheels grant serves the basic needs category and underscores the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation’s belief that “nobody should be hungry” and that investing in food and shelter “allows families to focus on building their future, rather than worry about where their next meal will come from.”

The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation presented the grant check to Council on Aging representatives at a ceremony that took place at Seven Feathers Convention Center in Canyonville on Wednesday.

Central Oregon adults over 60 and contending with interim and long-term mobility challenges are eligible for Meals on Wheels service at no cost. To find out more, contact the Council on Aging of Central Oregon at (541) 678-5483 or councilonaging.org/services/meals-on-wheels.