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!