Oxford Seniors outlines transportation, meals and outreach; seeks two accessible vans via grant

At an Oxford City Council meeting, Emily Lichtty, executive director of Oxford Seniors, told council members the nonprofit has applied for a 5310 transportation grant that she said “is gonna be recommended in the fall for approval,” which she said would fund two additional wheelchair‑accessible vehicles for medical and non‑medical trips.

Oxford Seniors provides transportation, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels deliveries, adult day services and a range of classes and outreach for older adults in the Greater Oxford area, Lichtty said. “Year to date, 4,000 rides to almost 200 people,” she said of the center’s transportation work, and later reported that the organization has delivered “8,700 meals to 101 people and close to 9,000 lunches have been served to a 136 people at Oxford Seniors.”

The center also runs an adult day service out of Faith Lutheran Church’s lower level and has provided “3,346 days of safety” for participants year to date, Lichtty said. She described partnerships with Miami University (students in gerontology and social work), Lane Library (monthly crafts and book exchange) and McCullough Hyde (meals preparation), and highlighted free services such as benefits counseling, tax preparation and a lending closet for durable medical equipment.

Why it matters: city funding, grants and volunteer capacity determine whether seniors get transportation to medical appointments, regular home‑delivered meals and supervised adult day programming. Council members thanked the group and asked how the center is coping with recent federal funding cuts.

On staffing gaps: a council member asked how the senior center is filling the loss of student positions after a federal student‑work program ended. Lichtty said the cuts were “a really significant impact on us,” explaining the center had three student positions providing roughly 45 hours a week of student help and that the students were told retroactively that they could no longer work. She said some students continue to volunteer, the center expects to recruit unpaid interns and to use paid staff to cover duties that had been performed by students.

Programs and upcoming events: Lichtty described 25 program offerings per month (yoga, cardio, ceramics, pickleball, line dancing), reported “327 people attended almost 9,000 events” year to date, and reminded residents of Medicare open enrollment (Oct. 15–Dec. 7). She said the center will host two free Ohio Department of Insurance events with 30‑minute one‑on‑one counseling sessions, and will hold a senior health fair Oct. 17 with more than 20 community vendors. The center also runs free caregiver and grief support groups and monthly community meals.

Funding and volunteers: Lichtty said all Meals on Wheels deliveries are done by volunteers and that the center is updating its lunch menu with McCullough Hyde. She asked the council and community for continued support and acknowledged board members present at the meeting.

Next steps and council response: council members thanked Lichtty and said staff or the assistant city manager would follow up on specific questions. No formal council action or vote on funding for Oxford Seniors occurred at the meeting; the presentation and Q&A were informational.