Roberta Weber, left, gets a warm meal delivered to her by Kevin Mitchell, a Meals on Wheels driver, during a scheduled delivery to Weber’s home in La Pine Wednesday morning. (Andy Tullis/The Bulletin)

It takes an army of volunteers to care for Central Oregon’s senior citizens.

An army of 700 who volunteered 36,605 hours in 2024, an increase of 13% from the previous year, according to the Council on Aging of Central Oregon’s annual report.  

The Council on Aging, Central Oregon’s senior citizen resource and food lifeline, delivered 134,471 meals to seniors through its Meals on Wheels service and served 43,842 meals in senior centers in Central Oregon’s three counties in 2024. That’s in addition to matching volunteers with senior citizens, supporting them and their pets and answering 6,079 calls for information and referrals.

The council, in tandem with other nonprofits, provides a safety net for Central Oregon senior citizens. This year marks the council’s 50th year of helping the community of senior citizens age with the support they need. The nonprofit is an important resource for many as the Central Oregon population ages. In 2023, nearly 20% of the population was 65 and older. 

“It takes a partnership with community organizations who help identify the older adults who are in need of help,” said Cassie Regimbal, the Council on Aging’s executive director. “It’s important to have the volunteers come  from their own community. That really helps with the service delivery and makes people feel comfortable.

“That provides that next level of trust and builds that relationship.”

That’s exactly how volunteer Kevin Mitchell feels. A Sunriver resident, Mitchell just started volunteering, delivering Meals on Wheels to senior citizens in La Pine. 

Feeding the community

Every Friday, Mitchell meets up with other volunteers, grabs his meals for delivery and sets out on his route. With each person, he tries to spend time chatting with them, getting to know them. 

A nurse by training, Mitchell, 66, knows how important it is to build relationships and trust. 

He’s gotten to know them and their habits since delivering meals to them. There’s one woman who he often finds working in her yard, tethered to an oxygen tank. Another man, a former school teacher, lives in La Pine on homesteaded land. 

“He’s at the end of my route. I look forward to visiting him. He is appreciative when I deliver a meal,”  Mitchell said. “You know you’ll likely be the only human contact for that person during that day. It is sad, but he’s in his own home and he’s able to answer the door and listen to the radio.

“My brief interaction with him means a lot.”

So when the man mentioned he couldn’t find sweet potatoes at his market, Mitchell picked up a couple for him and gave the potatoes to the man during a meal delivery recently.

“He was so touched,”  Mitchell said. “He said I went above and beyond. To me it was a pleasure to see him and that the gift meant something to him.”

At the in-person dining facility in Bend, Chris Varland, a volunteer, said every day he sees the impact the council makes on helping seniors remain independent and eat healthy.

“The organization has wonderful, caring staff and if they were not around to help our community, we would have seniors worrying about their next meal or when they will be able to get to a grocery store,” Varland said. “This plays a huge part on why our community is as strong as it is.” 

Demand grows

Helping senior citizens age in place — living at home with support they need —  is a key mission of the council. It also works at making sure they’re not lonely. That their pets have food. And they have help when they need it. Last year, the number of calls from seniors looking for help surged by 45%, Regimbal said. 

“Without the council, so many seniors would not be able to live to their full potential and share their valuable experiences, volunteer services and other contributions with us,” said Phil Chang, Deschutes County commissioner. 

One of the council’s partners to provide access to resources is NeighborImpact, a nonprofit service organization that helps more than 55,000 households a year in Central Oregon with everything from utility assistance to  housing and food. The two nonprofits work together to support seniors.

Last year, the council took in $4.43 million in revenue, just a tad more than in 2023. The lion’s share, about $3.9 million, comes from contributions.  Other sources of revenue came from programs and investments in 2024, according to the nonprofit’s public tax filings.

“NeighborImpact partners with and cross refers to the Council on Aging for nutrition, housing and other essential services,” said Scott Cooper, NeighborImpact executive director.  “The council’s reach is much greater than we could accomplish on our own. Seniors are better cared for in our region versus others in part because of the council’s presence and our ability to work with a willing, capable partner.”

Those services run the gamut from nutrition to socializing to caregiver support, health promotion and even tax filing help. 

In 50 years of providing services, the programs have required tweaking and adjusting to suit the needs of the community, Regimbal said. During the two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the council established a socializing network that partnered volunteers with seniors for phone calls or visits.

This is one program that not only has grown in scope, but required some tweaking and council support to manage, she said.  

“We dedicated a program manager who works on this,” Regimbal said. “We modified our training to make connections in the community. It’s meant to combat isolation and loneliness.“

Staff also work to keep databases up to date for housing and transportation options. Unlike providing actual food assistance, the council acts as a resource for referrals, Regimbal said. The council refers seniors to a program that they apply for. 

While sometimes seniors require assistance on the paperwork, the council has a case manager who will help them navigate the system, but not actually fill out the forms. 

“Our population is aging,” Regimbal said. “My hope in the future is that we can continue to grow the needs of the community. In so many ways, older adults are overlooked in our society.” 

But as federal funding falls on shaky grounds, organizations like the council, may have to rely on donations, she said. That could result in wait lists not just for housing or financial support, but for the nutrition programs. Both Madras and Bend have wait lists for Meals on Wheels.

“We get funding from the federal government, but we’ve been told to expect flat funding,”  Regimbal said. “It would be ideal to not have any adult wait to access a nutritional program. “

Reporter: 541-633-2117, suzanne.roig@bendbulletin.com