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LEAP reports rising demand: nearly 1,000 senior rides and 1,553 food‑pantry visits in Jan–May
Summary
Shelley Smith of LEAP told Washington County officials that its transportation and food‑pantry contracts show year‑over‑year increases: 985 senior trips (304 individuals), and 1,553 people using the food pantry in the same Jan–May window; staff will investigate why some clients drop from rolls.
Shelley Smith, executive director of LEAP, told Washington County officials the nonprofit’s contracts with the county show a marked increase in demand for senior transportation and food assistance.
"Our total trips for this this time period were 985," Smith said, adding that the transportation program served 304 individuals, including 44 new people, with an average of about 197 trips per month and 61 individuals served per month. Smith said the service is intended to help seniors remain in their homes by providing rides to medical appointments, grocery shopping and social activities.
Smith also presented year‑over‑year food‑pantry figures for the same months: 1,553 individuals and 580 households served, including 606 children, 780 adults and 167 seniors. "Seniors are up by 33, 24% from last year," she said, and staff are seeing anecdotal reports that rising energy and food costs are driving more seniors to the pantry.
Board members asked whether monthly counts double‑count repeat households. Smith said many households are repeat visitors and that she will work to add non‑repeat (unique household) counts to future reports. "We see a lot of the same folks month after month," she said, and described pantry staff efforts to connect clients with other resources when appropriate.
Members discussed partnerships with RSVP and Head Start to coordinate services in parts of the county. Smith said LEAP sometimes refers callers to partner providers when its drivers are fully booked and that referrals are not counted in the program's trip totals.
Why this matters: the numbers point to growing demand for basic needs services among county residents, particularly seniors. Officials asked staff to pursue more precise tracking of unique households and to return with further data and proposals for service coordination.
What’s next: Smith said she will try to report unique household counts going forward and to follow up on whether the transportation program is helping retain seniors in community‑based settings.
