Along with making a difference and transforming lives, another significant transformation is coming for this local non-profit. The Senior Center of Walker County is becoming Meals on Wheels Walker County. We sat down with Director Stacey Loll to learn more about the organization, what’s changing—and what’s staying the same.
Said Loll, “The organization encompasses home-delivered meals; participant meals here on location—along with games, programs, and activities; and also our transportation program. All of these fall under the same umbrella, just as it did with Senior Center.” She continued to explain there are several reasons for the name change. “First, Meals on Wheels is recognized nationally, which helps people moving into the community know how to find us and our services. Secondly, it allows us to tap into grants and more opportunities for expanded funding. And finally, it facilitates us being able to network with other local Meals on Wheels programs concerning how to meet challenges, problem-solve, and best utilize our available resources.”
Loll joined the local organization as director in 2020 and jumped right into the challenge of dealing with, and recovering from, the pandemic. Meeting those needs involved initiating membership in both state and national Meals on Wheels organizations.
The Senior Center began in 1977. Local efforts were started by two ladies downtown handing out sandwiches and a piece of fruit to people who came in. In the early years, it was all volunteers, and it was all funded by local donations. For a time, the location moved to a house on Sycamore, before settling into the current building on SH 75 N in 1985. At that time, Walker County had obtained some grant funds which required them to house a senior center as one of the funding conditions. This move also began a shift for the organization to hire staff and partner with larger entities to stabilize and grow the services. “Services for seniors here have always included a meal, from the very beginning,” said Loll.
Funding for the program comes through donations and multiple levels of government (federal, state, county, and city—with the vast majority of funding coming through the federal government). Loll reports strong community support through local churches, businesses, and individuals. “The churches not only provide volunteers and funding, but are a good resource at helping connect us with those in need of our services.”
“We have almost 100 volunteers,” reported Loll, “and all our deliveries are through volunteers. If we didn’t have volunteers, we could not do what we do. There’s simply not enough funding.”
Many volunteers who deliver meals have been with the organization for a long time, so they know the people they are delivering to and have developed relationships with them. “It’s a connection,” said Loll. “It’s us checking on them, and for them to know that somebody cares. Some don’t have anyone else ever visiting them or checking on them. We don’t leave our meals unless we see the person. We also make follow-up phone calls every week, especially for the frozen meal routes, where we only see the people once a week. We connect with their emergency contact if we don’t reach a person. If we don’t resolve the concern, we initiate a well-check. We have actually saved a few lives by these follow-up checks.”
Whether building relationships through home deliveries or with seniors who come into the Center for a daily meal and programs, dealing with the isolation of seniors in our area is a very real concern, and one which the pandemic magnified and extended across time.
Loll says they partnered with a kitchen management company in November to evaluate their practices for a trial period. The representative told Loll when he was leaving, “I just want you to know you have one of the most active congregate groups in the entire state of Texas.” Loll stated that, while this is an excellent compliment to the local program, it did surprise her; she took it as evidence of the long-term and far-reaching effects of the pandemic isolation period, with many seniors and organizations still feeling the significant impact of a reluctance to return to normalcy.
We have all learned that things don’t always make sense when you deal with government. Loll shares this frustration, noting that the larger government entities delegate funding into separate program “buckets” (primarily home-bound meals, congregate meals, and transportation) and don’t let local programs access and use the funds based on their needs and local discretion.
“The federal government is the only funding entity that pays for transportation,” said Loll. “The state only pays for home-delivered meals, while the city and county don’t place restrictions on their monetary contributions.” She went on to share a specific frustration. “The federal government always allocates much more money to congregate meals than we can use locally—more than pretty much any of the local organizations can use— while there isn’t enough money for the homebound meal needs.” Despite these limitations, we have had a great relationship with our elected officials
at all levels of government.”
As an example of leaning into these types of requirements, Meals on Wheels Walker County received a $40,000 grant from Meals on Wheels Texas in 2023, but the funding was specified as non-food to address waitlist issues; the local organization used the funds to purchase and implement a software system to track their clients and requests.
Loll shared that the group is applying for a transportation grant in January, which will involve collaboration with several local entities. “Transportation locally for senior adults is a real challenge in Walker County,” said Loll. “If you are homebound, getting to the doctor is very difficult. There are Brazos Transit, taxis, or transportation apps, but none of that is free. Currently, we are able to supply very limited transportation, but hopefully, we will be able to expand this service in the near future.”
Loll hopes to continue “getting the word out” about the organization and its mission. “We are our own organization and a non-profit,” she pointed out. “Some people think we are part of the county government, but we are not. We
are just in a county building.”
Loll says that, for the local organization, priority will always go to home-bound residents and meeting those needs. However, the congregate meals and activities at the Center provide a vital service by addressing social isolation.
The activities offered include great partnerships, including several with Sam Houston State University. Groups of students come to provide things like music programs, health fairs, and educational programs.
H-E-B has been a great partner and recently completed their annual “Feast of Sharing,” where they supply the food and their employees who come to the Center to serve. The City and The Wynne Home also sponsor the Meals on
Wheels annual Empty Bowls fundraiser every spring (see ad on page 66).
Concluded Loll, “Everything we do is a collaboration. Without our volunteers…without the city and the county… the state and federal governments…without the local businesses and the churches and the university and the community as a whole…who care about the people and give of their time and their money—we could not do this.
Like loaves and fishes that fed the 5,000…the difference that started with two ladies, a sandwich, and a piece of
fruit continues to multiply, spread, and bless the lives of the hungry. How will you join in?
Congregate Meals: Hot nutritious meals are served to seniors at the center M-F at 11:20 am.
Homebound Meals: Hot meals are delivered daily M-F inside the Huntsville city limits. For Walker County seniors outside the city, 5 frozen meals are delivered weekly.
Transportation: Vans offer transportation to the Center, Monday through Friday. Drivers pick up clients beginning at 8:30am and return them to their homes following the lunch hour. Currently, limited transportation is available for other essential activities within the city limits. Inquire for details.
New Service: Breakfast Bags: Bags with 30 breakfast items accompany lunches to help ease breakfast pangs for senior adults. The bags themselves are decorated by volunteers (companies, individuals, classroom students, etc.) Items for bag contents are purchased through local grocers or Amazon wishlist by individuals, Sunday School classes, local businesses, etc. and donated to MOWWC. Local businesses, groups, or individuals then volunteer to stuff the bags.
Without our volunteers…without the city and the county…the state and federal governments…the local businesses, the churches, the university and the community
as a whole…who care about the people and give of their time and money — we could
not do this.
Monday-Friday 7AM-2PM
340 SH 75 N, Ste F
Huntsville, Texas 77320
(936) 295-6151
seniorcenterofwalkercounty.org
Postcards Magazine
936-293-1188
PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
