Kanawha Valley Senior Services officials anticipate the delivery of the agency’s annual Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers within the next week.
Some hurdles remain until the arrival and distribution dates become official, however, per KVSS CEO Vicky Foster. “The voucher program is one of the biggest things we do every year, as far as an outreach, other than the meals we serve,†she said. “The vouchers are anticipated by the end of July, but, last year, they said that and we did not get them then. Until we have them in our hands, we’re telling people to continue to track our Facebook page for updates.â€
The KVSS program supplies vouchers for qualifying Kanawha County residents ages 60 and older — or their proxies — to obtain fresh produce at discounted fees through the summer.
“It’s based on income guidelines, which are listed on our Facebook page,†Foster explained, “and they can also call the center and speak to one of our social service reps or the receptionist. This year, the voucher is a $25 gift certificate, I think. In past years, we’ve had a lot more participating [distribution] places. This year, there are only four participating.â€
The designated sites accepting Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers this year include:
• Capitol Market, 800 Smith St., ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
• Elkview Park and Ride, Interstate 79, Elkview. A farm stand will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
• St. Albans Farm Stand, Route 50 and Richmond Road, St. Albans. The farm stand will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
• The roadside Gritt’s Farm St. Albans Stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays through October.
KVSS is also providing a variety of other programs this summer, such as weekly Tai Chi, Zumba, and self-guided art classes and monthly bingo games and craft activities. “We’re trying to provide seniors opportunities to get together with other seniors and have some quality time,†Foster said.
The KVSS headquarters houses an in-center Alzheimer’s program as well. “It’s designed to help someone who’s working who has a parent with Alzheimer’s. They can call us, and we’ll make an assessment so they can bring their parent here while they’re at work and know they’re safe. We call it a ‘best friend approach,’ designed to sort of help slow down the progression by utilizing their motor skills, hand dexterity, that kind of thing,†Foster said.
“The requests for home-delivered meals continues to just skyrocket,†she said. “Since our fiscal year began, we’ve served a total number of almost 114,000 meals. West Virginia has such an aging population. We get more and more people coming out of rehab centers or hospital visits who can’t cook anymore.
“COVID has definitely had a huge impact. We used to have a lot of people come to our centers, but a lot of people are afraid to come now. We do not turn anyone away as long as they qualify under the program. We do not have a wait list here — to serve our seniors, which is what we’re here for, we do whatever it takes.â€
On-site lunches are served at KVSS centers from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. weekdays. Meals are free for those ages 60 and older; monetary donations are optional. Seniors can to pick up lunches to take home as well.
For home-delivered meals, Foster said, “We’ve added routes, drivers, and vehicles to keep up. We’re up almost 10,000 meals since last year, and volunteers are always welcome to help us out.â€
The deliveries provide far more than nutrition, she added. “Social isolation is something seniors face all of the time, and they’ve faced it even more since the pandemic. Our drivers are often the only person they see all day long. They develop a relationship with their driver and look forward to seeing them.
“We always say it’s more than a meal. We have to physically see them. We can’t leave the meals on their porch; we have to be able to assess how they look. We’ve found people on the floor and others who’ve fallen. We’ve been told by some paramedics that if we hadn’t found them, they wouldn’t be here now. It’s such an important thing.â€
She said food costs have risen more than $70,000 in the last eight months. “That, of course, affects what we do. We continue to produce a high-quality meal. We do not require donations but definitely appreciate them from participants, businesses or individuals who are able to help.â€
Senior transportation is also in high demand, the CEO said. “You’d be shocked by the number of seniors who don’t have anybody; we are their only means of transportation, to dialysis appointments, chemo and radiation treatments, and regular doctor visits. Our vans are booked up to three weeks in advance. We try to never turn anyone away, but, capacity-wise, COVID has affected how many people we can put on our buses.â€
More information about KVSS programs and services — including updates on the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program and income eligibility requirements for the vouchers — is available by contacting the nonprofit agency at 304-348-0707 or going to its Facebook page or website, kvss.org.
Kanawha Valley Senior Services is located at 1710 Pennsylvania Ave., ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
