Golden Diners seeks way to eliminate waiting list
The Salvation Army's Golden Diners program is looking for ways to eliminate its waiting list for senior citizens who need a home-delivered meal.
The number of people taking such meals has climbed 11 percent this fiscal year, said Maj. Ken Nicolai. It delivers from 800 to 1,000 meals per day.
But the program's revenue has remained nearly the same as last year.
“It continues to be a challenge to us. The population of seniors is growing,” Nicolai said.
Golden Diners is part of the federal Older Adults Act's Nutrition Program. Federal funding for the home-delivery program is funneled through the Northeast Illinois Agency on Aging. The home-delivery hot meal program is for seniors who are judged unable to use a stove or microwave, or unable to travel to a store or charity food pantry. Senior Services Associates assess applicants to determine their risk of malnutrition, and whether there are other options, such as if they have relatives who can supply meals.
Golden Diners may change how it prepares the meals. Currently, they are made by the same caterer who handles the program's dining-center meals. The food is delivered to several sites, where Salvation Army workers dish it into individual containers. Volunteers then deliver the meals.
Nicolai is working on a plan to have a centralized kitchen, likely in Elgin, where Golden Diners would prepare its own meals. It may be able to get such a place for just the cost of utilities, he said. He hopes to accomplish this by the fall.
The money saved would enable Golden Diners to eliminate its wait list. It might even be enough to reinstitute delivery of a second meal (typically a sandwich and fruit) to more than 100 clients at extreme risk of malnutrition. Government funding cuts and delayed payments scotched that program in 2011.
The program is also supported by charitable donations. It recently received an anonymous $25,000 gift. And from 4 to 7 p.m. May 17, the Alden of Waterford senior housing complex at 2000 Randi Drive in Aurora is having a cocktail party to raise money for the program. There will be food, entertainment and raffles, including a one-week stay at a resort. For details, call (630) 851-1466 or visit aldenwaterfordccrc.com.
Nicolai stressed the value of the meals in keeping senior citizens relatively independent and out of nursing homes.
“A low-risk senior is only one incident away from being a high-risk senior,” Nicolai said.