Elm Court Center Meals

As winter settles in for the long haul it’s more important than ever that the isolated, homebound and vulnerable seniors we serve receive healthy meals and nutrient-rich supplemental food – such as eggs, cottage cheese, peanut butter and hummus – to stay well-fed and warm.

According to the Senior Collaborative Project Report, there is much evidence that older people in our community are experiencing high rates of socioeconomic vulnerability. The 2019 “Point in Time Count” (PIT) for Multnomah County showed that homelessness is increasing for people 55 years and older and the Oregon State Office of Forecasting corroborates these findings, predicting a 46% increase in the number of seniors living in extreme poverty in the county by 2030. Malnourished seniors have a lower quality of life than those who are well-fed; they get more infections and diseases, and are at increased risk of losing their independence. The rising cost of both housing and healthcare are impacting limited incomes to the point where all too often seniors must choose between paying rent, obtaining medication or buying food. Approximately 60% of those served by Meals on Wheels People are women, who represent a significant need in the senior community because women historically did not have the same earning potential as men and are more likely to end up in poverty. In addition, the pandemic has intensified feelings of isolation and loneliness, made worse because seniors had to move from eating together in our congregate dining centers to having meals delivered to them for COVID-19 health and safety reasons.

Grant funds from GlobalGiving have been used to support our Elm Court Center in downtown Portland, which is projected to deliver more than 160,000 meals in the next year to at least 750 seniors (including homeless adults and veterans, seniors with disabilities and those who are homebound) each day. Generous support from the community and philanthropic leaders help us to ensure that the rising costs of ingredients for meals and supplemental pantry staples won’t interfere with our ability to provide meals and check-ins, camaraderie and conversations to seniors in the Elm Court Center service area.

During the pandemic all of our congregate dining centers have closed and meals are now predominantly delivered to our clients’ doors; however, because this population struggles with homelessness more than any of our other locations, Elm Court Center uniquely provides a hot lunch on site Monday - Thursday to seniors who are unsheltered, and also distributes items received from the food bank and local farmers’ market each week. We serve low sugar, low sodium, heart-healthy meals that meet nutritional guidelines for the populations we serve and we honor protein dietary restrictions, including a vegetarian option, for those with religious, cultural or dietary restrictions. We greatly appreciation the generous support of our GlobalGiving community!

With summer in full swing, Meals on Wheels People has been busier than ever ensuring that isolated, vulnerable and/or homebound seniors in the downtown Portland area receive much-needed meals and pantry staples, as well as conversation and social connections. The older adults served by the Elm Court Center represent some of our most vulnerable and food-insecure clients. Many of these seniors live alone in studio apartments or hotel rooms, subsist on low incomes, and frequently have no facilities available to prepare meals. Few have family or other resources to depend on in a time of crisis, let alone for the fundamentals of daily living. For many, Elm Court Center is their only source of fresh food daily, and often the Meals on Wheels People volunteer is the only person they will see and speak to in-person that week.

Not surprisingly, the number of home deliveries at Elm Court has significantly increased since the pandemic started. From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 we served a total of 162,428 meals, as compared to 98,397 delivered during the same timeframe the year before. The cost impact of this increase in food at Elm Court alone is substantial, with total expenses at the site increasing $28K per month. Senior homelessness in Portland has also been on the rise, and Meals on Wheels People is more dedicated than ever to ensuring that these adults have access to healthy meals at Elm Court Center.

In addition to meals and socialization, we do our best to address additional challenges that arise for adults over 60. For example, during Oregon’s recent record heatwave, we were very concerned about the health and wellbeing of older adults without air conditioning. We put out a call via press releases and social media for fans for seniors and received over 400 fans in under two weeks from generous businesses and individuals. We continue to distribute fans for older adults in need, and also perform heat-related Well Check calls to remind seniors of ways they can stay hydrated and cool when temperatures soar, as well as to advise on how to find local cooling centers when the heat reaches dangerous levels in their home.

Generous donations from GlobalGiving participants cover healthy meals and nutritious pantry staples for the highest-need seniors we serve and help us address the challenges described above, ensuring that the rising costs of the program won’t interfere with our ability to provide meals and check-ins, camaraderie and conversations to seniors in the Elm Court Center service area. In the 51-year history of Meals on Wheels People we have never had a waiting list for our services, and we have no intention of allowing the challenges associated with COVID-19 and consequent increased expenses to change this commitment to older adults in need.