Meals on Wheels drive nearly doubles goal, collects $185,000

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

In response to the drive’s success, the Council on Aging has reopened the seven dining sites closed earlier in the year due to budget restraints.

BY THE OBSERVER STAFF

The Council on Aging announced this week that not only did its Meals Match Challenge, conducted the past two months in response to local philanthropist L. Gale Lemerand’s $100,000 donation offering, reach its goal of collecting $100,000 in community donations, it nearly doubled it.

“We are extremely excited to announce that we met the Lemerand challenge grant of $100,000, and actually to date have collected $185,434.83 in funds to support Council on Aging meal programs,” said Doug Beach, Council on Aging CEO. “And we still have some outstanding pledges to collect.”

Lemerand’s pledge to match all donations raised for COA meal programs in June and July, up to $100,000, came after he attended the Glenn and Connie Ritchey Community Service Award Dinner in May, honoring Betty Jane and the late Bill France, Jr.

“We would not have been able to continue the levels at which COA has served meals to seniors in Volusia County without these individuals,” added Beach. “This has really been a grassroots effort of support from over 600 individual donors to help COA match the challenge grant given to us by Gale Lemerand.”

Federal budget cuts had forced COA to make reductions in the number of meals served to Volusia County clients. Thanks to the successful Glenn and Connie Ritchey Community Service Award event, though, COA Living Gifts Foundation was able to make a contribution to keep all current Meals on Wheels clients on the program. Federal cuts also forced COA to close seven dining sites one day a week, however, displacing 300 seniors for lunch.

In response to funds raised, COA has reopened its seven dining sites, once again serving hot lunches to seniors five days a week. Challenge funds will also allow the COA to develop a plan to reduce the wait list for meals, a list which has continued to grow due to federal cuts.

The Council on Aging has been active in Volusia County 45 years.