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Lava Senior Center reports near-doubling of meals served, seeks help to expand countywide deliveries
Summary
Lava Senior Center leaders told commissioners they nearly doubled meals served this year, operate an in-house lunch program three days per week and deliver about 20–26 home meals per day; they asked the county to consider continued support to enable expansion into outlying areas such as McCammon and Downey.
Martha Faye Freymeyer, chair of the Lava Senior Center board, and Laurie Lowe, the center’s financial administrator, briefed Bannock County commissioners on increased meal service, outreach plans and a request for continued county support.
Freymeyer said the senior center has nearly doubled the number of meals served this year and now delivers about 20–26 home meals per day while serving 10–25 in-house lunches on the days the center is open. “We deliver right now anywhere from 20 to 25, 20 6, per day,” she said. The center serves in-house lunches Monday, Wednesday and Friday and sometimes sends an extra frozen meal so clients have food on off days and holidays.
The center told commissioners that expanding service into parts of Marsh Valley, McCammon and Downey is a priority but faces transportation, staffing and fuel-cost constraints. Freymeyer said the center keeps meal cost low—attempting to hold meal cost below $3—and uses fundraising and grants to cover needs. The center also described growth in its fitness center and community programming and requested county assistance to continue current operations and support planned outreach; the exact county contribution requested at the hearing was not clearly specified on the record and will be considered in the budget process.
Commissioners suggested local outreach strategies—working with city officials and community advocates—to improve awareness in outlying communities. No formal funding decision was made at the meeting.
