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Senior Center reports growth in meals served and fundraising; food-service contract change reduced costs on paper
Summary
The Saline County Senior Center reported 31,698 meals served in Oct'Dec 2024 and 123,772 meals for 2024, increased fundraising, and a swap of food-service contractors that staff say will lower contract costs compared with the prior contractor.
Rosie Walter, senior services director, updated Saline County commissioners on the senior center''s fourth-quarter activities and finances for Oct.'Dec. 2024 on Jan. 21.
Walter said the center served 31,698 meals during the quarter and 123,772 meals for the full year of 2024. Of the annual total, staff reported 115,551 meals (93%) were subsidized and 8,221 (7%) were full-pay. The center''s busiest single days in the quarter were Thanksgiving (674 meals) and fried-chicken day (676 meals).
On fundraising and grants, Walter said two local foundations awarded gifts to support Meals on Wheels and a new digital sign. The Earl Veil Foundation awarded $5,000 for Meals on Wheels and $20,000 for a digital sign; the Veil Nesbitt Foundation awarded $9,000 for Christmas Meals on Wheels. A letter campaign has raised $82,161 so far this cycle (compared with $55,488 last year). Walter said donor carryover and grants included roughly $45,000 set aside for building improvements from Dane Hansen and other local foundation awards.
Walter said the county solicited bids for the food-service contract; the commission picked Trinity as the new provider. Based on available billings through November, staff said the Trinity contract would have cost $511,526 for the comparable period, compared with $610,758 under the previous provider (Aladdin) for January'November, for a notional savings of $99,232. Walter cautioned that December billing from Aladdin had not yet been finalized and that some donor balances (reported at $61,094) have not yet been applied to outstanding invoices.
Other items in the briefing: the center packed 285 holiday bags for homebound seniors, coordinated with the sheriff''s office for delivery, held a Veterans Day event (about 50 participants), and began transition and kitchen training with Trinity staff at the end of December. Plans include garage and Ninth Street door repairs funded by a $25,000 Dane Hansen Foundation grant and a Community Development Block Grant application for parking lot and roof replacement due in November 2025.
Commissioners asked about the vendor change and were told the county rebid the contract and Trinity was selected; staff said initial days of the new contract had been "rocky" but were improving.
