 Hello, and welcome to Town Meeting Television, presented by CCTV. I'm Matt Kelly. With rising inflation and our supply side issues, food insecurity for our most vulnerable population is a rising concern. And for nearly half a century, one organization has been addressing that problem and helping our most vulnerable populations age in place. Meals on Wheels is delivering more than just a meal part of the non-profit organization Age Well. It's been serving our community and our most vulnerable. And I'm pleased on this show to welcome Christine Moldovan. She is Director of Nutrition and Wellness for Age Well and Meals on Wheels. Christine, welcome to the program. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here today. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Age Well. Sure. Well, I am the Nutrition and Wellness Director at Age Well. I am a registered dietitian, and in fact, I've worked in the Chittenden County area for over 30 years, educating people on nutrition, working with individuals to guide them along and making healthy food choices, and specifically working with older Vermonters. At Age Well, I oversee Meals on Wheels, Community Meals, and other programs that are related to getting healthy meals out to individuals who have a need. It's pretty remarkable when I've been looking at some of the statistics, the number of meals that you serve throughout our community on a yearly basis, it's over a million meals. That's right. So, if you look at the four, the V4A, the five area agencies on aging in the state of Vermont, in fact, collectively, we serve over 1.7 million meals annually. So those are Meals on Wheels, Community Meals, and now Grab and Go Meals. That's a different type of meal we'll talk a little bit about later. And it's important to note, too, that your services aren't just for Chittenden County. You serve almost the whole state. Yes, collectively, all of the five agencies that are a part of the V4A organization serve the entire state. So every town is covered through those service areas. And again, Chittenden County, Addison County, Franklin County, and Grand Isle County are served by Age Well specifically. And what are the other organizations that serve the other parts of the state, if I can ask? Oh, absolutely. So the V4A consists of Age Well, Central Vermont Council on Aging, Senior Solutions, Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging, and Southwest Council on Aging. And the services that you're providing are through a federal program. It's funded federally. Is that correct? That's right. So Meals on Wheels and Community Meals programs are funded through the Older Americans Act. And the Older Americans Act nutrition programs are celebrating 50 years this month, in fact. And we're really excited to know that the federal government supports these programs to get healthy, nutritious meals that meet the strict Older Americans Act guidelines for nutrition to individuals who are over the age of 60 throughout the state who have a need. Maybe they are within poverty. Maybe they're very isolated, live alone, unable to prepare their own meals, or just aren't sure how to get out and get a healthy meal. So the Older Americans Act program has been around for a long, long time. As you said, 50 years, and it has just allowed us to serve those older, vulnerable individuals in our state. Yeah. And I mean, I'm in my 50s now, and I can remember this organization from the early 70s. Yeah. Yeah, we've been around, and Meals on Wheels has evolved over that time. In fact, we're very proud to say that every nook and cranny in the state, wherever you live, you can receive Meals on Wheels in your home if there's a need. Now you're a registered dietitian, so the meals actually meet a strict dietary guideline for the individuals. Can you talk about that, that guidelines for the seniors? Yeah, absolutely. So every meal, whether it's Meals on Wheels or community meals that serve through the agencies on aging, have to meet the Older Americans Act guidelines for nutrition. And what that means is each meal has to have a very strong balance of nutrients. So for instance, there's always a two to three ounce portion of protein. Maybe that's a meat, chicken, fish, something like that, or maybe it's beans and cheese or eggs or something to combine and make a three ounce portion. And then we have two ounces of grain, one of those being whole grain, a cup and a half of fruits and vegetables. We focus on vitamin A and vitamin C, as those are nutrients that are commonly deficient in individuals over the age of 60. And then each meal is also, each person who gets a meal receives a carton of milk, which is a good source of calcium as well as protein. Desserts are optional. Oftentimes, we plan our meals around ways to make those desserts more nutritious. Maybe it's a fruit dessert or pumpkin cookies or something so that there's a nutrient rich component to it. And oftentimes we think about the nutrition aspect and it's so very important, but really we want the individual who receives those meals to enjoy those meals, find them delicious and very rewarding and acceptable. So not only are they nutritious, but they're delicious meals. Well, and it's also important to note that each meal, also if you have dietary issues, the Meals on Wheels program can address it if you're lactose intolerant, if you're diabetic. Meals are packaged specifically to the client's dietary needs. Absolutely. And so, you know, one of the things that we found over the years was to think about, you know, who are we serving? Those individuals in their homes, you know, who can no longer get out or no longer cook for themselves, often are, you know, isolated. They have multiple chronic health problems. Maybe they're managing diabetes or hypertension or maybe they've just had a surgery or maybe they've suffered a stroke recently. There's all kinds of different therapeutic aspects of what their needs might look like. So at age well, we've been able to sort of transition or change our whole nutrition program to allow meals that meet heart-healthy guidelines, renal-friendly guidelines, diabetic-friendly. We serve lacto ovo, which is vegetarian meals that have milk, eggs, and cheese to get the adequate protein, as well as lactose-free, gluten-free meals. And then we also have texture modification available. So for individuals who might have chewing or swallowing problems, we can offer puree or mechanical soft type diets and then any combination thereof. So an individual could be diabetic and have an allergy to milk and so they get a diabetic lactose-free and maybe they also need it to be pureed. And then also we can incorporate, you know, an individual's food allergies concerns that they might have. So if an individual has a food allergy that they're trying to manage, we can accommodate that as well. You know, they just had up on the screen a number of statistics that are actually mind-blowing to me. You know, the percentage of older Americans in Chittenden County, something like 27 percent or over the age of 60, and that how many of our senior and most vulnerable populations are living at or below the poverty line and how important this meal is to them. Absolutely. Food security has become such an important issue to talk about. And since the pandemic hit, certainly it's become much more noticeable. You know, we're focusing on it more, understanding that even older adults may be food insecure and not have access to nutritious food. So you know, it's very, very important to think about ways that we can get meals out that meet individuals' needs and, you know, help them get by. We might be able to offer programs like Three Squares and offer additional funds to help them buy healthy food. But if you're an individual who can no longer prepare your own meals, maybe you're recovering from hip or knee surgery and you can't stand long enough. Maybe you have vertigo and, you know, you have problems with dizziness and or cognitive issues. Maybe you forget to turn off the stove or have issues with cooking. Even though you might have had years and years of experience doing that for your own family and for your loved ones, now might be the time to get meals on wheels, even if it's short term. It could be, you know, six weeks to six years, depending on what the individuals need is. And so where are these meals prepared? How do they come from the kitchen, so to speak, to the delivery hub? Yeah, that's a great question. So at Agewell, our meals are prepared in Rutland by Trio Food Service. They are our food service organization that works with us to provide the meals for both community meals and meals on wheels. And we deliver those meals daily, Monday through Friday, through 23 hubs sprinkled about Chittenden, Franklin, Addison and Grand Isle County. And we serve over 70 roots every day. That's about 900 individuals Monday through Friday that receive meals from Meals on Wheels. And what that also means is volunteers are in place and actually are those people who deliver those meals. On Fridays, there's a fully cooked chilled meal delivered for Friday and then two frozen meals for the weekend. So again, 23 different hubs, 70 roots, 900 individuals every day are served through Meals on Wheels at Agewell. It's also important to note that if for any reason Vermont weather happens to impact a volunteer's delivery, these clients are provided with frozen packs ahead of time, emergency meals I believe they're called. Is that correct? Absolutely, yes. And so what we did was we kind of planned ahead thinking that Vermont weather happens. We know it could be icy, it could be muddy, it could be snowy. And sometimes we just can't get the meals to the individual. Maybe the roads are impassable. We want to keep our volunteers safe. We want to make sure, oh gosh, this year we even had below zero wind chills that were just unbelievable and we didn't want people out on the roads. So we wanted to make sure individuals get meals they can put in their freezer and have in case of an emergency. So October, November timeframe, we deliver four to six meals out to every individual who receives Meals on Wheels. And when there's inclement weather, they're notified that they won't receive a meal that day but they should pull one out of the freezer and have that as a replacement that day. These meals come prepackaged in a microwavable safe tray covered in plastic and they have a shelf life with them as well. Isn't that correct? Yeah, that's right. And every meal, you may see the picture on the screen, has an expiration date used by date so that people do know when they should eat that meal. If it's frozen, that kind of changes it. So if you think about it, the meal is fully cooked and chilled and then refrigerated. When the client gets it, it's packed on ice, it's given to the client, they put it in their fridge and heat it up just when they want to eat it, whether it's lunch or dinner. And if it gets put into the freezer, of course, that can be a longer storage time. About six months probably in the freezer would be a good rule of thumb. Take that meal out, thaw it out and reheat it and it would be fine. And it's microwavable safe. They don't recommend that you put it into toaster oven but it can go on a tray in a regular oven. Yes, absolutely. Those black plastic trays are ovenable or microwavable. So when that person's ready to eat, they just pop it in, get it ready to the temperature that they want. And it's really important to know that when we package those meals, we get them from our food service company, they're packed on ice so that the temperature is held at the proper temperature so that the food is safe when it's delivered to the individual. And what's remarkable to me is the variety of meals. I mean, it's not just the same thing every week, it is a different meal every day of every week. I'm shocked at just the variety that you have. Yeah, and I'm pleased to hear you say that because it's something that we work really hard to make sure that the food doesn't become repetitive or boring. We want it to be, again, something that people look forward to. I've often heard from individuals who will say because I receive meals on wheels, I eat many more different foods, different variety, and many more fruits and vegetables than ever before. Sometimes as we age, we don't necessarily take the time to prepare a roast or cook the vegetables or balance that meal, and this meal is fully balanced, has all the nutrients that an individual might need, and it's a nice filling meal that the person can enjoy. And you had indicated that it's delicious. I had one of the quiches, and I have to tell you, it was probably one of the best quiches I had ever tried. That's great. Well, what's also important to note is you're not just delivering meals every day. You have community meals and a grab-and-go program. Why don't you tell us about those two additional offerings? Oh, yes, absolutely. So if you think about an individual who's aging in their home, some people aren't unable to get out, they can no longer drive, they can't cook for themselves. Those would be those people that are eligible and would need meals on wheels. But there's a whole different group of people over the age of 60 who are still out there and about. They can get on the bus. They can drive themselves to a community center or a senior center. And so we have what we call traditional meals that are served at those senior centers or community centers, sometimes churches, where the individual signs up in advance. A meal is planned, and that meal is brought to the site, is served to the group of people. Everybody eats the same meal at the same time and enjoys themselves. They get to visit. They get to socialize, interact. And maybe there's education. There might be some entertainment. There might be some other activities scheduled. We also have programs with restaurants. We work with area restaurants to have sit-down meals in some situations. Again, same meal. Everyone would sit down and enjoy the same meal. They would all be meeting those nutrition requirements that I mentioned earlier in the Older Americans Act guidelines. And they can enjoy the meal, be out with friends, see family members, community members that they maybe haven't seen in a while, and enjoy that experience. So it becomes a social outlet in addition to a delicious meal. Absolutely. And for many of these at-risk individuals, this might be their only opportunity to get out and socialize. Right. And socialization is so important. You know, we've all learned about social isolation and staying safe through the pandemic, but we've really understood how much of an impact it can have on individuals. And as we age, maybe there's an individual who had a large family. They've all grown up and moved away. Maybe their spouse has died. Maybe they've lived alone. Maybe they don't live in their house anymore, but they're in a small apartment. There's all kinds of reasons that, you know, someone might become more isolated. So community meals, getting involved with those types of programs can be really beneficial and helpful and very uplifting. And then you have the Grab and Go program. We do. We have the Grab and Go program, which is a program that evolved throughout the pandemic. And it was an opportunity as senior centers or those traditional meal sites shut down because of, you know, keeping people safe and, you know, staying safe in place in their, in their home because of the risk for COVID-19. We wanted to have an opportunity to get food out to people who had a need and who wanted some way to connect with the community. And so what we did was we partnered with, again, lots of different organizations. Again, many senior centers, community centers, churches, fire stations, you name it. And we provide meals. People sign up in advance. We provide meals that are, again, packaged appropriately, fully cooked and chilled and then bagged with lots of education materials. There's nutrition education. There's, you know, vaccination information. There was counseling service information included. There was information about three squares, Vermont, and all kinds of programs in those bags and individuals could pull up, get their Grab and Go meal delivered into the trunk of their car or into their back seat when we had to be very socially distant or handed through the window of their car. And honestly, the Grab and Go meals participant numbers have just gone through the roof. We're still serving unbelievable numbers of individuals getting those Grab and Go meals. People are feeling more comfortable getting out, getting those nutritious meals, enjoying them, and knowing that it's okay to get a meal. Bring it home, eat, you know, at their leisure, at their kitchen table, or maybe take it to a park and eat outside or wherever they feel comfortable doing so. And it's amazing because, you know, you're talking restaurants, you're talking Grab and Go meals on wheels, you're talking about your community meals, but that's just the meal portion, if we can say, of age well and of meals and wheels. There's even something that's more, you know, direct here. And we're talking about a wellness check that all of your volunteers perform by delivering these meals to our most vulnerable. Yes, so if we go back to thinking about, you know, how do we get those meals out? So we have over 700 individuals who volunteer on a regular basis to deliver meals on wheels. Those people are, you know, dedicated to their communities and they're bringing meals out, they're developing relationships, frankly, with the Meals on Wheels clients. Some people will deliver for six weeks, some people will deliver for six to eight to 10 to 12 years, and they'll get to know those clients. So they'll notice things like, wow, the, you know, newspaper has been piling up and the individual hasn't brought them in the house, or gosh, you know, it's very cold outside, but that individual isn't dressed appropriately for the weather. That seems strange, or gosh, every day they greet me at the door and their hair is combed and they are dressed nicely and boy, today they were a little disheveled or they were still in their robe and they seemed kind of, you know, quite out of it or something. And so those volunteers sometimes are the only people that see that individual in a day. And so what they'll do is they'll call into our office. The volunteers are not alone. They can call into our office at age well and say, gosh, I'm worried about so-and-so. Can you check on them? And so what we do at age well is we call that an individual. We try to connect with them. If we can't, we call their emergency contact, often a relative or family member or nearby neighbor, and they will check on the individual. If for some reason we can't connect with anyone, we might escalate and call the police and have a safety check done. Sometimes it's for no reason at all. Maybe the individual just forgot and they had a doctor's appointment or maybe they went to the mall or shopping with their family member and they just forgot to cancel the meal that day. But sometimes it's not. And so safety checks are so very important. And it's a key component. When we say more than a meal, it's a nutritious meal, it's socialization, and it's that safety check. Well, age well has produced a short little video about the volunteer experience for Meals on Wheels and we'll take a moment now to watch. Thank you. You're welcome. I can seriously say that that was just a great video and it really exemplifies the volunteer experience. For full disclosure, I'm a volunteer at Meals on Wheels. I was looking to contribute to my community and give back and I just didn't know where or how. And this had been something on my mind for a while. And on front porch forum, I saw the Meals on Wheels little ad and it just clicked. This was the organization that I knew that I was going to donate my time to because having been food insecure myself, it's something that I'm personally a fan of and I just really can't speak enough about the volunteer experience and the mission of Meals on Wheels. Well, and first and foremost, I want to thank you for your service and the gift that you've given to your community because all volunteers that take the time to deliver Meals on Wheels, the only visitor to connect with older Vermonters are giving a gift that really can make a huge impact on an individual. And so, as I mentioned, 900 individuals get Meals on Wheels every day, 70 routes. So that's Monday through Friday, 70 routes every day. We depend on volunteers. We couldn't do it without volunteers. What's very nice about Agwell's program is that we offer extensive training. You know, for that individual who maybe has never delivered Meals on Wheels, is unsure, doesn't know their community, any of the above, we offer really extensive training so that you feel comfortable and you know that you're doing the right thing and you know how to respond if there's an emergency or if you're unsure. Yeah, and I will say that just speaking for myself, it was a great support in learning. And then as I had questions going along, there was always a number to call if I had a question or if one of my clients didn't answer the phone or they didn't answer the door and then they didn't answer the phone, the next call would be to Agwell to make sure that the wellness check was occurred. And then what is even more amazing is that I was hooked up with a route in my old stomping ground. I grew up in the new north end of Burlington and they hooked me up with a route that just took me through my old neighborhood. And in fact, one of the clients is a personal friend of my mother's, a family friend. And so I know that she is deeply grateful that it's me delivering on Mondays to her and I've even heard from their family thanking me for delivering. So it's a great way to reconnect with our extended friends in the community as well. Absolutely. And you know, I've been a registered dietitian for 30 years. I delivered meals on wheels way before that. And you know, it's such a heartwarming experience to know that you're, you know, someone's maybe their only visitor that day to come to the door, say hello, say a few pleasantries and, you know, make sure that they're okay, offer a nutritious meal. Again, maybe you see someone that you previously knew and, you know, had lost track of over the years. It's such a nice opportunity to give back to the community. And so if you are looking to serve your community, meals on wheels could very much use your support as a volunteer or perhaps even a financial donation. Even if it's just $5, every dollar matters and they are very grateful for your participation, your volunteerism and your financial support. Absolutely. And you know what I haven't said yet and I think it's so super important to know we talked about meals on wheels. We've talked about some of the community meals. We've talked about restaurant, you know, Graven goes and other programs. One thing is that all of our services are at no cost to the client. So this is something to know. Yes, of course, we'll take donations and we need donations to be sustainable. But at the same time, we're never going to turn anyone away. We receive older Americans Act funding as I mentioned earlier to help partially pay the cost of the meals, so donations help support that. And in order for us to maintain and continue to be sustainable, we do depend on donations. But if there's an individual who can't give the full donation or partial donation, that's the point of the program is that we want to provide services to those people in need and that can just, you know, need a leg up if you will. I think that's really incredible for the corporations that perhaps they can't afford it. Again, if they're below the poverty line, they still will get a nutritious meal every day at no cost to them. That's pretty remarkable. Right. You know, and again, one of the things that we do is we let people know monthly, you know, they get a statement in the mail if you will and they get the calendar for the next month. So they'll know what to look forward to as far as the meals they receive. We'll say, hey, you received 20 meals last month, Monday through Friday for a month, that's 20 meals. If you were to give a $5 donation, that would be at a rate of $100. If you're able to make a donation, please send it in. If you're unable to, don't worry about it. And that's the important part is that, you know, we will always serve those people that need a meal. Short-term, long-term Meals on Wheels is there. There are volunteers delivering the meals or volunteers. There are people on-staff, paid staff who are actually helping manage these 900 meals and these 70 roots or however many. And so that in itself is an incredible task, as you can imagine. And what's really remarkable is that as a volunteer you sign up for your route, but if somebody happened to call in sick or something, there's still an opportunity to fill in. And that need is great. And again, Meals on Wheels would certainly appreciate your participation. Yeah, and you could volunteer to deliver Meals on Wheels. You might volunteer to be a friendly visitor or you could volunteer to work at one of our community meal sites. So there's lots of opportunities. There's always a volunteer position for you. So if you have any interest or gift, give us a call. We always call the 1-800 number. If you need Meals on Wheels, you certainly can get information from that helpline as well. If you're calling anywhere in the state, other than Chittenden, Franklin, Addison and Grand Isle County and you call the 1-800 number, it will ring through to the nearest agency on aging. So again, there's five agencies on aging. We all provide similar services throughout the state. So you'll be hooked up with the right agency and they'll be able to answer your questions and tell you what you need. And you can also log on to agewellvt.org for more information. Christine Moldovan, Director of Nutrition and Wellness for Age Well. Your final thoughts on Meals on Wheels. Well, I think Meals on Wheels, Community Meals are programs that we offer throughout whether it's care and service coordination, whether it's state health insurance information, that's information about Medicare applications and very specific programs that you would need, three squares Vermont information, whether it's the volunteer program. You know, we have a variety of options that might meet your needs. If you're over the age of 60 and you just aren't sure who to call, call the helpline. We have staff that will be able to make a referral, give you the phone number to contact who you might need to or help you write that down in the mail. We work with area restaurants. We work with area senior centers. We work with area community partners in so many different ways and so many different aspects. We're so grateful for those partnerships and support. And we just love what we do. I'm very proud of the work that we do through Meals on Wheels, Community Meals, through the whole Nutrition and Wellness Department, the whole organization. And just happy to be here today as the Moldovan Director of Nutrition and Wellness for Age Well. We thank you for joining us here today. And a reminder, feel free to reach out to Age Well or Meals on Wheels directly for a financial donation at agewellvt.org or to volunteer. It will do you well. On behalf of CCTV Channel 17 Town Meeting Television, I'm Matt Kelly. We thank you for watching.