During their annual meeting, the Good Neighbor Service Center discussed the future of the Congregate Meal program for seniors in the Audubon area due to the proposed budget received from the Elderbridge Area Agency on Aging. The Good Neighbor Service Center is a 501c3 subcontracted through Elderbridge to provide and coordinate senior citizen activities for the community. In 2022, the Iowa Department on Aging became under the newly aligned Iowa Health and Human Services umbrella and was divided into six planning and service areas. Elderbridge has the largest coverage area, with 29 counties, including Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Sac, Greene, and Guthrie Counties. The proposed max budget for Audubon County is $43,963.50, based on serving 50,000 meals, to help pay for food, rent reimbursement, and workers’ wages. To break down the budget, Elderbridge estimates each meal cost roughly around $10.75 per meal, with the agency reimbursing Good Neighbor Service Center $5.52 per meal. Elderbridge also contracts the site manager for congregate meals to be paid $11.00 per hour and only work 1.5 hours per day, engaging with the community members, completing intake forms, preparing menus, taking orders, and more. The head cook is contracted for four hours, making the same wage as the site manager. Good Neighbor Service Center also receives $100 monthly for reimbursement to rent the Memorial Building, which costs $265 a month. Eldgerbridge also requires organizations to have phone and internet services to complete intake forms, take orders for meals, and more, but it does not provide any reimbursement for such services. Chairperson for the Good Neighbor Service, Glenn Meyers, says Elderbridge is barely paying half of the expenses needed to continue to provide this service to seniors. He says the local organization has a solid two years of funding saved up that could pay the difference but is still determining the future after that. Meyers says Good Neighbor Service has discussed this matter with the Audubon County Board of Supervisors, who continue to provide funding to Elderbridge; as Meyers states, the supervisors say, “the organization provides more services other than just meals.” As inflation continues to rise and funding remains consistent, Good Neighbor Service Center has considered sponsorships from local businesses and organizations to help cover costs, but nothing official has been determined. It is unsure if this issue is happening to all congregate meal programs in other counties, as providers did not respond to comments. Anyone who wishes to learn more information or support the organization can contact Meyers at 712-563-3657.
