Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Senior Meals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Auburn senior meal programs stable but face recurring funding shortfalls, staff tell council
Summary
Parks staff told the council the Auburn Senior Activity Center runs the county27s largest congregate lunch site and a major Meals on Wheels hub but relies on outside contracts and donations; a $17,000 grant and $4,500 in center funds have temporarily covered a shortfall, while long-term funding remains uncertain.
Julie Krueger, Auburn27s parks director, introduced a presentation Dec. 8 on the senior center27s meal programs, and Senior Center Manager Raydine Lazier told the council the center serves as a "community anchor for older adults." Lazier said federal nutrition funding flows through the Older Americans Act to state and county agencies and is contracted locally to Sound Generations, which operates both congregate lunches and Meals on Wheels at Auburn27s site.
Lazier said the congregate lunch program and Meals on Wheels have a long history in Auburn, and that recent funding reductions forced creative responses. When federal or contract funding cut service days in prior years, Auburn worked with the Auburn School District27s culinary program to provide Friday lunches. Lazier said King County levy and grant funds are covering "almost $17,000" for Friday lunches and the senior center budget is contributing about $4,500 to staff the service on Fridays.
Megan Mummert, recreation coordinator and Meals on Wheels site coordinator, said Sound Generations runs eligibility and meal procurement and that Auburn functions as the host site, providing freezer space, volunteer coordination and on-site support. Mummert said the Meals on Wheels site serves about 103 active households and that volunteers (roughly 26 people averaging about 150 volunteer hours per month) divide deliveries into six routes; the program reduced deliveries to seven meals per week per client to shorten a waitlist that had grown to months.
Council members pressed staff about sponsorships and local fundraising. Several councilors suggested pursuing corporate partners; staff responded that Sound Generations holds the contract and is responsible for centralized fundraising and donor allocation, though city staff can suggest potential donors and facilitate site-level support. Lazier said Auburn27s average donation per congregate meal is about $1.87 while Sound Generations estimates the full cost of a meal at roughly $15, leaving a structural gap the center and one-time grants have been funding.
Councilors and staff repeatedly emphasized the social value of the congregate program in addition to nutrition. Staff described steps to reduce waitlists and redeliver missed Meals on Wheels deliveries. Lazier and Mummert urged further outreach to encourage donations and noted federal legislative allocations for Meals on Wheels exist but distribution details were not yet available.
The presentation closed with council praise for volunteers and partner organizations — including the Auburn School District, the Rotary and the Auburn Food Bank — and staff committed to continued outreach and monitoring of next year27s funding prospects.
