About the Program

Meals on Wheels are home delivered by community volunteers to those individuals who are unable to take advantage of the social setting that congregate meals have to offer. Enjoy a noon meal for the suggested donation of $5 for individuals age 60 and above and $6 for individuals 59 and under. SENCA offers Meals on Wheels from our Senior Center in Tecumseh. We also partner with Colonial Acres in Humboldt and Pawnee County Memorial Hospital to provide meals to residents in Humboldt and Pawnee City.

Requirements for the Program

There are no income requirements for this program.

Counties Served
Johnson

Contact Person
Kay Wissmann

Contact Email
kwissmann@senca.org

Contact Phone
402-862-2411 x 108

Location

Home Delivery
Reach out to set up delivery.

Testimonials

Larry, a Pawnee County resident, lives on the limited income he receives from Social Security Disability each month. During the winter months of 2020, Larry found himself struggling to get to the grocery store to purchase food. He felt overwhelmed by the physical boundaries created by his wheel-chair, his lack of budgeting for food expenses, and his inability to prepare and eat well-balanced meals on a regular basis.

Feeling frustrated, Larry reached out to SENCA for assistance. An appointment was scheduled for Larry to meet with a trained and certified SENCA Family Development Specialist at the local Pawnee City Outreach office. During his initial meeting, Larry was asked to complete a Basic Intake Form (BIF) and provide proof of household income. This information helped determine what programs and services Larry qualified for. To assist with his immediate nutritional needs, Larry was provided a week’s worth of food from SENCA’s food pantry.

The next step was to help Larry apply online to DHHS’s (Department of Health and Human Services) Access Nebraska site for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. In addition to SNAP, Larry applied and was approved, for aged and disabled social services. This included DHHS paying for home-delivered meals through the local Meals-on-Wheels program which is managed by SENCA with Pawnee County Memorial Hospital preparing the meals. Meals-on-Wheels provides Larry, and other homebound participants in the community, with a balanced, nutritious, noon meal delivered directly to their homes each week, Monday through Friday, by area volunteers.

For retired or disabled households, such as Larry’s, who live on a fixed income, the $1,300 provided by DHHS that directly pays for Meals-on-Wheels services, in addition to the almost $200 received in SNAP benefits, provides $1,500 in annual benefits to help meet on-going nutritional needs. For single households living at 100% of poverty, this equates to approximately a 12% increase in their overall annual budget.

As a result of collaborative community partnerships, combined with the convenience of SENCA’s local programs, Larry had access to resources that provided solutions to help meet his ongoing nutritional needs. By reducing some of his frustration and stress, Larry has been able to relax and enjoy the homemade spaghetti dinners that continue to be his favorite.