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Residents and senior-center leaders urge council support for senior meals and programs
Summary
Multiple community members, including the executive director of UN Senior Citizens Inc. and former Mayor Joy Bell, urged the Evanston City Council to restore or increase financial support for the local senior center’s meal and service programs.
Several community members addressed the council during public comment to request city support for the local senior center’s meal and services programs and to praise recent management changes.
An executive director representing UN Senior Citizens Inc. described the center’s meal program costs: “Last year, we spent over $428,000 to provide those nutritious meals,” the director said, and added that the program’s meals are dietitian-approved and that those costs amount to “over $35,000 per month.” The director asked the council to consider a renewed partnership and financial support during the city’s ongoing budget discussions.
Former Mayor Joy Bell and multiple senior-center volunteers and participants told the council the center has undergone organizational improvements and that volunteers and a new management team have restored credibility. Bell said the center now serves about 75,000 meals a year and that local match funding for home-delivered and congregate meals exceeds $200,000, calling the food program “an upside-down ratio” because a typical meal costs roughly $13 to prepare and deliver while the center may only request a $5 donation from participants.
Other residents and seniors reinforced the request. One resident noted the center’s ask as about $100,000 in council discussions; another speaker described personal reliance on the center’s donated groceries and local programs after being denied food stamps.
Council members responded that senior services and the senior-center funding request are being considered in ongoing budget talks. The mayor and other councilors expressed appreciation for the center’s volunteers and staff and said the council is discussing budget options; no binding appropriation was made during the meeting.
Why it matters: The senior-center meal program supports food security, social services and congregate activities for older residents. Speakers placed the program’s annual food cost and local-match obligations in the context of the city’s budget review and requested the council consider multi-year or sustained support.
What’s next: Councilors said the request will be part of the ongoing budget deliberations; staff and council will determine any appropriation through the formal budget process.
