Concordia Senior Center to Move Nutrition Program Under Local Control, Discontinuing its Relationship with the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging
Members of the Concordia Senior Center met with the Cloud County Commission on Monday, January 22nd to discuss efforts to move its Nutrition Program under local control, discontinuing its relationship with the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, an undertaking they hope will better serve seniors in Cloud County.
The Concordia Senior Center lost both its manager and cook at the end of December 2023. According to Richard Hubert with the Concordia Senior Center Executive Board, there was no urgency being shown by the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging to replace either of these positions.
The North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging is a private, non-profit organization that plans, coordinates and provides services in 18 North Central Kansas counties, including Cloud County, to enhance the quality and dignity of life for older Kansans and those living with disabilities, as well as their families and family care-givers. Friendship meals are available in dining center settings or through home delivery from 40 dining centers in their 18-county region and are locally prepared at each of 22 kitchens.
An evaluation of the expenses of the Concordia Senior Center, as well as projected costs of running the Nutrition Program, was recently performed and it was determined to be economically feasible. Previously, county tax dollars have been flowing out of the county to pay for the program, including a requirement to purchase food from Evco Wholesale Food Corporation in Emporia. By running the program locally, Althea Sicard with the Concordia Senior Center Executive Board says local businesses will benefit from food purchased locally.
The Concordia Senior Center has held a meeting with Frank Headrick at F&A Food Sales to get food and supply pricing information.
Local control will also result in more flexibility in the meal program that keeps the tastes of local people in mind rather than a single menu for the 18 counties in the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging service area. The North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging controlled the menu, controlled the recipes, and required a $300 minimum order to Evco, resulting in less desirable meals and more discarded food.
Any food item previously purchased by the Concordia Senior Center that was not approved by the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging was done so at a loss to the senior center's budget.
The Concordia Senior Center Executive Board is conducting interviews this week for a new manager and cook. They are also working on replacing kitchen equipment at the center. Originally, the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging was supposed to purchase and maintain the equipment used in the Nutrition Program, but according to Hubert, they have not lived up to this agreement. Over the years, the Concordia Senior Center has purchased replacement equipment as older equipment has stopped working, and when a piece of equipment has broken down or is not repairable, the center has paid for the repairs themselves.
The Concordia Senior Center expects to increase meal prices from $4 to $5 per meal once they reopen to activities, which they hope will be next month, while meals will go to $6 per meal for anyone under the age of 60.