Bennington County Meals Program

Our Overarching goal is to provide affordable access the disabled though two tiers of meal service: Home Delivered Meals and Community Meals. We want to promote the health and independence of older adults by providing delicious meals made from scratch . We want to be innovative in our approach to leveraging non-traditional resources to defray the large budgetary gap we face each year.
Our program is funded to about 50% through the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging and Vermont Center for Independent Living. Clients are asked to donate toward their meals ($3.50), but most are not able to donate(.87 average).
Our triple bottom line model incorporates a level of profitability to our clients , planet and the community at large.

Transforming the image of Meals on Wheels from a welfare program with poor quality food to one offering appealing , nutritious food will attract users from a wider socioeconomic base, offering an attractive exchange of convenience, affordability,taste and an attractive cafe environment to the user. The impact of which is to keep older adults well nourished, independent and in their homes.
We leverage the resources of donated food and job training of at-risk groups to defray the costs associated with preparing food from scratch. Last year over 60% of our food was donated.
We collaborate with other non-profits for mutually beneficial labor and service exchanges.
Through our collaboration with Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, we have been able to reduce the 30 day readmission rate when seniors received fresh meals post-discharge.

51,000 Community and Home Delivered Meals Served Annually
Trained chefs utilize donated food to create delicious meals for our clients
Our Cafe provides a modern environment attracting non-traditional Meals on Wheels users
Attraction of Baby boomers to our services
Food choice in our cafe
Workforce training for at risk groups, including food sanitation, food prep and service.

Six years ago, our program was a more traditional Meals on Wheels program, relying on processed food, dial community meal sites, and no food choice. Employees had a low level of skills and professionalism. There was no Cafe, or meal choice.
Our program has come a long way. We have a more robust program that attracts both the "young old", and elders in the community.Food choice, improved services that treat our clients as consumers of a service, intergenerational community involvement and skilled help, usage of donated food and free labor through job training have brought our program national recognition as innovators in the field.
By bringing meal participants together with at risk adults, school and community groups we are building a mutually beneficial intergenerational program.
Executive Director Fox conducted the first baseline survey of our clients. Data from this survey has been used to understand and respond to client needs, and have outcomes based data useful for funding. Ms. Fox has published grant reports on Baby Boomers and the general client population. She has published two White Papers, one on The Community Resource Model, and another on the Good Food Good Health collaboration that has reduced readmission rates.
Despite our efficiencies, financial sustainability is a continual challenge. This is an impoverished community. Each year clients ability to donate toward their meals decreases by around 15%. The gap between what we receive from funders and clients and the cost of operating leaves us with a gap that is about 50% of our operating budget.
It is a challenge to rely on an impoverished community for this level of support. Efforts to raise funds include bi-annual mailings, major donor requests, grant writing, and events.