YOU NAME IT! A Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R O F C O A D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 C O A E M P L O Y E E U P D A T E S Angie Baney - Manager, Hendersonville Thrift Store (promotion) Daniel Carey - Director of Development (new hire) Edie Weichert - Program N O T S H R I N K I N G B A C K F R O M C O V I D - 1 9 Coordinator for Meals on Wheels The pandemic threw us a curveball…but we hit it out of (new hire) the park. Most organizations would shrink back when Glee Letterman - Hendersonville faced with the service and financial repercussions of Thrift Store Associate (temporary COVID-19, but not COA! Instead of closing ranks, we new hire) asserted ourselves. While we cannot predict which area of Henderson County will suddenly blow up with Meals on Jill Seidenfeden - Hendersonville Wheels referrals—resulting in a long waiting list—we take Thrift Store Associate (new hire) advantage of opportunities that present themselves. Kathleen Walsh - Client Services When the waiting list grows too large in any one area, we Coordinator (transition from Meals adjust by rearranging routes—or even adding routes—to on Wheels Coordinator) take off the pressure and serve clients in a timely manner. Nicola Singer – CARES Act Program Recently, our waiting list had grown too large along the Spartanburg Highway corridor. We studied the problem Coordinator (new hire, grant- and realized that a concentration of existing clients was funded) in three apartment complexes in the area. We combined Shirley Nazzaro – Program those apartment complexes into a new route we call the Coordinator for Meals on Wheels Flat Route (since apartments are also called “flats” in (new hire) other parts of the world). This opened-up space on Stephanie Cope - Etowah Thrift existing routes to absorb everyone on the waiting list in that area (and it made us seem very cool and Store Associate (new hire) international-sounding!). S H A R E T H E L O V E The Council on Aging for Henderson County joins Meals on Wheels America and Subaru of America, Inc. in Sharing the Love this Holiday Season. The 13th annual Subaru Share the Love® Event will help deliver nutritious meals and compassion to Henderson County’s seniors Hendersonville, COA is proud to announce that it will be participating in the 2020 Subaru Share the Love Event as a member of Meals on Wheels America – one of four national Share the Love charitable partners supported through the campaign. From November 19, 2020, through January 4, 2021, F E D E R A L G R A N T S K E E P C O A Subaru of America will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased to the M O V I N G A N D G R O W I N G customer's choice of participating charities. K E I T H L O G A N , E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R “For the first time in the event’s 13-year history, the Council on Aging is partnering with Hunter Subaru and we could not When Congress passed the Families First Act in mid- be more pleased,” said Keith Logan, the March and the CARES Act at the end of March, it organization’s executive director. “With wasn’t clear how it would affect operations at the additional support generated from this event, Council on Aging. Both contained increased funding we expect to be able to expand and deepen our Meals on Wheels reach to overlooked and for senior nutrition programs supported under the homebound seniors in remote areas of Older Americans Act (congregate dining and home- Henderson County.” delivered meals). After many months, these funds finally cascaded down to the local level. Families Over the last 12 years, Subaru of America and its participating retailers have donated more First funding filtered down first: COA received than $176 million to its charity $100,000 to react to the pandemic and serve more partners. This year’s Subaru Share the Love clients. Most of this funding was channeled toward Event is on track to bring that total to over $200 million, proving there’s no the expansion of MOW routes that enabled us to limit to the amount of love we serve an additional 50-60 people. can all share. (continued on next page) For more information, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/sharethelove. F E D E R A L G R A N T S C O N T I N U E D . I n a d d i t i o n t o n u t r i t i o n s u p p o r t , C A R E S A c t f u n d i n g a l s o h a d p r o v i s i o n s f o r c a r e g i v e r a n d o t h e r s u p p o r t i v e s e r v i c e s . W e r e c e i v e d $ 9 , 0 0 0 f o r c a r e g i v e r s u p p o r t t h a t w i l l m o s t l y b e u s e d t o p r o v i d e a d d i t i o n a l r e s p i t e t o c a r e g i v e r s w h o a r e e v e n m o r e s t r e s s e d t a k i n g c a r e o f t h e i r l o v e d o n e s d u r i n g t h e s e d i f f i c u l t t i m e s . W e a l s o r e c e i v e d $ 1 5 , 0 0 0 t h a t w i l l b e u s e d t o p r o v i d e a p i l o t w i t h s e v e r a l c l i e n t s t o p r o v i d e s e l f - d i r e c t e d i n - h o m e c a r e . I n o t h e r w o r d s , t h e c l i e n t w i l l b e a b l e t o d e s i g n a t e s o m e o n e t h a t t h e y k n o w t o p r o v i d e i n - h o m e s e r v i c e s f o r t h e m a n d From Kat Nevel… h a v e t h a t p e r s o n g e t p a i d f o r t h e i r The Sammy Center was closed. s u p p o r t . T h i s i s h e l p f u l b e c a u s e t h e And then it reopened. And then d e m a n d f o r i n - h o m e s e r v i c e s h a s f a r it closed again. “Blame it on o u t s t r i p p e d t h e c a p a c i t y a m o n g l o c a l Rio” or, you guessed it, COVID- a g e n c i e s , e v e n b e f o r e C O V I D - 1 9 . 19. Difficult though it is to not enjoy a weekly repast in the F i n a l l y , w e r e c e i v e d $ 1 7 3 , 0 0 0 f r o m t h e company of others, we do so in C A R E S A c t f o r a d d i t i o n a l n u t r i t i o n the name of safety and the prevailing protocols issued by s e r v i c e s . T h e i n t e n t o f t h i s f u n d i n g i s the Governor’s Office. t o i d e n t i f y a d d i t i o n a l o l d e r a d u l t s i n t h e c o m m u n i t y w h o h a v e b e e n When we reopen yet again—and i m p a c t e d b y C O V I D - 1 9 a n d h a v e we will—masks are required at n u t r i t i o n n e e d s .