January 2, 2024 • 26 mins
Sarah Celenza is the Chief Giving Officer of Meals on Wheels SWO & NK. More than just a meal is not just a slogan. It's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to serving the needs of Tri-state seniors.
Click here to connect with Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky
The Meals Madness Gala is March 21, 2024.
Click here to connect with Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky
The Meals Madness Gala is March 21, 2024.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
This week on iHeart suit it isso good to know that when you need
a hand in Cincinnati, there's someonewho will reach out and take yours.
For senior citizens here in the TriState, there are many challenges from reduced
incomes, to isolation and loneliness,even hunger, and that's where Meals on
Wheels comes in. It's not enoughto just provide that nutrition. We really
(00:28):
have to provide those wrap around servicesto make sure that people are supported and
independent in their homes and living withdignity the way that they want to.
My guest today is Sarah Solenza.She's the Chief Giving Officer of Meals on
Wheels Southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky.She's spent her career dedicated to helping Tri
State residents. You're going to hearmore about the amazing nutrition program at Meals
(00:51):
on Wheels and you may be surprisedby the number of other services they provide
to make your golden years at homesafer and HEALTHIERO On iHeart Cincy with Sandy
Collins. Well, looking at thecalendar, we're wrapping up twenty twenty three,
I say good riddance. I'm SandyCollins at this time of the year,
though, it's great to reflect onthe major changes that we've had,
(01:12):
the good things that have happened,express relief at the things that we face,
the challenges like inflation and illness,gas prices and crazy politics. But
looking forward is inspiring as we lookinto twenty twenty four. My guest today
has brought a boatload of information aboutresources for families and senior citizens here in
(01:32):
the tri State, along with apersonal invitation to a big party in March
that'll raise money to keep their missiongoing and give people a chance to have
a little fun during March Madness.My guest Sarah Solenza, the chief giving
officer at Meals on Wheels. SarahSelenza, thank you for being here on
iHeart Sinsey on this iHeartRadio station andyou're at Meals on Wheels. Tell me
(01:57):
how you came to that organization,and I understand you have a long history
of public service jobs and a realfocus in your career on helping people.
Thanks for having me, Sandy,I appreciate it. Yeah. I actually
I'm a born and raised Cincinnati girland I started out in social work.
I went to the University of Cincinnatiand graduated from the Social work department there
(02:21):
and started out with Hamilton County Children'sServices and worked with children and families for
several years. And then I waswith the United Way and I was with
Freestore Food Bank for years, andthen I moved over into the healthcare space
and worked with a couple of healthcarecharities, the Crons and Colitis Foundation and
(02:43):
the National MS Society, and thenI found myself working for the senior population
with Meals on Wheels. It's beenalmost four years now, and it's been
quite a wild four years because Istarted in February of twenty twenty, right
before right before the cald got wild. Yeah, wow, right, So
(03:04):
you didn't see that coming at all. No. In fact, I remember
the second week on the job,we sat and had a meeting with the
leadership team. We had gotten amessage from our partners at the Council on
Aging, which is the regional administratorfor a lot of the funding for elder
(03:28):
care locally, that you know,there was this this weird virus coming and
that there might be some supply chainissues that could affect elders especially and they
might have a hard time getting tothe store getting supplies they need. And
the organization serving the seniors might wantto stock up on some things so that
we could deliver extras. And youknow, it was hard at that time
(03:49):
for people to take that to HEED. But yeah, we had no idea.
I keep it was going to goright right. Yeah, But Jennifer
Steel, our CEO at the time, I and a friend of mine who's
now in San Francisco. I mentionedto you. She said, yeah,
I think we need to take thisseriously. And we did. We stocked
up and we were sure glad wedid. Meals on Wheels is not just
(04:14):
feeding senior citizens in their homes,as I've come to find out after meeting
you and doing some research on Mealson Wheels. Let's talk about the mission
in over you know, overall,look at the mission, and then we'll
talk about the many other services thatyou provide that the name does not evoke.
I mean, there's a lot here, So let's talk about that.
(04:35):
First of all, who's eligible forMeals on wheels? Who do you serve?
What's the magnitude of the service.Yeah, so, you know,
I always liken Meals on Wheels tolike a brand name like Kleenex or band
Aid. You know, you sayMeals on Wheels and people immediately recognize it
(04:59):
and think they they know what itis, and universally apply the name Meals
on Wheels to a lot of differentorganizations and services, which is which is
true. A lot of organizations allover the country provide that program. But
our local Meals on Wheels organization,Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky,
is actually one of the largest nonprofitsin the region. We serve eight
(05:23):
counties in Northern Kentucky and five countiesin Ohio. We have over ten thousand
seniors here locally that are touched byour services, and we work with partners
on both sides of the river.Our largest funders and partners are the Council
on Aging on the Ohio side andthe Northern Kentucky Area Development District on the
(05:45):
Kentucky side, And we really areworking to do we like to say so
much more than a meal. Infact, that's our tagline and our website,
much more than a meal dot org. And to your point, it's
not enough to just provide that nutrition. We really have to provide those wrap
(06:06):
around services to make sure that peopleare supported and independent in their homes.
And living with dignity the way thatthey want to, and aging the way
that they want to. The Mealson Wheels program itself, you offer free
meals delivered to the homes of seniorcitizens. How often, how much,
(06:30):
and how do they get signed up? So anyone who is sixty and over
who's home bound, we use thatterm, but it essentially means that someone
who can't get out and drive orget to the grocery store or prepare their
own meals and their home easily,and or has a medical condition that makes
(06:50):
it hard for them to prepare mealsthat meet their prescription diet needs would qualify
for those meal services. And theway they would qualify for those services is
a lot of times through the Councilon Aging, because that's like a clearing
house for a lot of supportive seniorservices. And then we become a vendor
(07:11):
for those programs, and that caninclude the meals, it might also include
transportation to help them get to medicalappointments or to social activities, or to
necessary things like getting their haircut orto do a grocery run if they're able
to do that. And then wealso have the Senior Center, We have
(07:35):
the over the Ryan Senior Center,which we own and operate. We also
provide group meals to twenty two locationsthroughout the region Atich I thought was really
sweet. You know, we're goingto provide the food, but we also
want to help you find companions likeyourself, and so you provide it in
a group setting and yeah, it'slike a like a lunch. Yeah you
(07:58):
ought to see. So I livein and and I'm on the advisory committee
of the Anderson Senior Center, andso I sat by there, and then
like the Green Township Senior Center isanother one where we have and those are
two just like really big thriving seniorcenter. So I'll use those for example.
But it is it is remarkable tosee how many folks are there on
(08:20):
a daily basis, not just forthe meal but for all of the social
activities. But the meal really becomessomething that people congregate around, and we're
so we're so proud to do that. And you know Mike Beck, who
is over all of our food services, and he runs just a awesome team
(08:43):
in our kitchen, which a lotof people don't realize that that we actually
prepare all of our meals and ourown package them and package them. I
mean, we've got this year.By the end of the year, we
were up to forty eight hundred mealsa day going out the door Price hill.
Right up at the top of thehill is where our kitchen is.
But Mike Beck said something to meone day. He said, I don't
(09:05):
just want this to be an adequatemeal. I want this to be a
special meal for people. And itwas when we were up in Westchester,
and you know, he was likethinking about which plastic wear was being provided
with the service. And because ifhe can't butter the role because the knife
breaks, because it's so cheap,what is it right? Right? And
(09:28):
Mike has a background in catering.We get those a lot here on the
radio station. I can't butter mybread, yeah, you know. And
it's like we have so many restrictionsbecause of the dietary compliance issues. Sure,
you're talking about gluten, you're talkingabout sugar, you're talking about salt,
right, because we want it tobe healthy, right, We want
to want to make sure that we'reproviding and that's so attrition for people.
(09:52):
But it really is a balance ofmaking it a good experience as well.
And so much of what Meals onWheel's reputation is is also touching the loneliness
of someone who literally is you know, maybe doesn't have anybody left in their
family, and they're you know,they're in their home and they don't have
any real social life anymore. Andso seeing that meals on Wheel's person helps
(10:18):
keep them connected. And when Iwas younger, I remember thinking, well,
you know, why are so manypeople alone? You know, all
my friends have all these families andall these kids, and why are so
many elderly people alone. Well,get as I approach that age, I
start to realize, and I thinkpeople start to see that. People start,
(10:39):
you know, dying off, andpeople start going away, and all
of a sudden, you know,half of your support systems gone. And
so it's easily it happens. It'snot an economic thing. I would imagine
you would agree with me on that. It's not an economic thing. It's
not a political thing, it's nota racial thing. It is a human
candation of just needing people around tokeep you engaged. And I love that
(11:05):
part about Meals on Wheels. Youknow, that's a really important point that
you make and something that's remarkable aboutthe group Meals is there's no economic standards
for those that the senior centers.Nobody has to qualify to go and have
those meals. But not everybody necessarilyfeels like they would want to go to
(11:31):
a senior center. And we've donea lot of research around that. In
the last couple of years, weactually engaged a market research firm to call
people all over the region and talkto them about their awareness of our local
senior centers and where they could gofor a meal if they wanted one,
(11:52):
and would they And we've got somereally interesting answers, particularly from men,
because when you walk into any seniorcenter, it's mostly women that are there,
and you know, that's not justabout gender, it's also about personalities
and whose joiners and who's not.And you know, if you weren't a
(12:13):
joiner when you're younger, you're probablynot going to be when you're older.
And we but we did find somesome themes and men in particular tend to
conflate senior centers with nursing homes andyou know, felt like if they darkened
the door of a senior center thatwas basically going into a nursing home and
(12:35):
had less interest in doing that Wealso found that people really really wanted a
welcoming environment, but it's a littlehard to figure out what that means to
all people. All we know isthat senior centers aren't necessarily that for all
(13:00):
people. Let's just like go intoa church and you're all by yourself,
and then the minister says, let'swelcome all of our visitors, and you're
thinking, Okay, this could benice, and then they either make you
stand up or you have to shakethe hands of all these people, and
or if they don't mention you atall, then you feel neglected. So
I can just imagine how difficult itis to try to figure out how do
(13:20):
you make people feel welcome without embarrassingthem or ignoring them. We worked really
hard with our partners to offer somesome new options. We bought a food
truck and we have when the weatheris nice, we've been taking the meals
to the people. We roll ourfood truck up to senior buildings and parks
(13:43):
and places in the community so thatwe can provide those meals in a different
way, in a way that feelsa little bit normal, a little bit
more normal. We love doing thatand great idea. Yeah, I mean
it seems so simple. But letme tell you what. I'm going to
go back to keep talking about MikeBeck, our food guy. It's not
easy to operate a food truck,but he has made it happen with a
(14:07):
whole lot of blood, sweat andtears and magic, and we're real proud
to offer that. The other thingis we've partnered with a couple of restaurants
and the Council on Aging to dowhat's called the Swipe and Dine program,
And it's kind of like a collegedining card, and so the seniors,
instead of going into a senior center, they get like a card and can
(14:33):
go into a restaurant and sit downand have a meal with their friends.
And they're getting that group meal experiencewith who they want, in a place
where they want, and it's onour dime. So that is just so
generous because not only you thinking itand being able to make it happen,
but then of course all of thepeople that financially support that program, that
(14:56):
is just that's mind blowing. Andthat's it's just the beginning, folks,
that's just the beginning of all thecool things that meals and wheels here in
the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky area.Sarah Solenza is here. She's a chief
giving officer at Meals on Wheels andwe are talking about battling hunger and loneliness
in the senior community and also helpingprotect them a little bit. Let's get
(15:20):
into some of these programs that youalso have, these other support services that
folks may not be aware that youdo. You said you have the Senior
Center and transportation pet support. That'svery interesting because, as we know,
feeding a pet can be expensive andhard to get to. What do you
(15:41):
do for folks with pets? Yeah, expensive, hard to get to,
cumbersome. I mean those bags ofdog food and they're heavy, right,
They're hard to pick up and emptyinto the bin. And so through private
donations and support, we're able topurchase pet food in bulk and then volunteers
break it down into smaller packaging thatthen we deliver along with our people food
(16:06):
to customers who need that extra support. The delivered once a week, yeah,
yeah, everything's delivered once a week. Yeah. Yeah. We do
have some customers that get more frequentdelivery if they need that more regular check
in, but most people get aweekly delivery and you know, that's actually
a really important point, Sandy,is that I keep making that much more
(16:27):
than a meal point. It's notjust a food drop off, you know,
it really is a well check anda visit. Our drivers are some
of the smartest, most loyal toour customers, and generous employees. They
(16:48):
really take care of our seniors andso when they stop by, they are
like looking out for safety issues andthey know if something's maybe a little off
and you know, did you takeyour Medicare today? And those relationships they
end up running deep, you know. And a lot of our drivers aren't
on their second careers. A lotof them are our veterans or retired like
(17:11):
police or fire and it's you know, teachers, people who have been caregivers
and public servants their whole lives.We have one hundred and fifty employees.
We looked at our mileage recently andwe're driving fifty thousand miles a month.
Oh my, in this region withgas. Can you imagine to have hit
hard to yes? Yeah. Tellme about the Elder Justice Unit that you
(17:36):
operate through Meals on Wheels that helpsseniors protect against fraud, scams and other
crimes. So the Elder Justice Unitis actually through the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.
That's Lussa Powers and her team overthere, and we have partnered with
them. Our team of social workersspecialized in financial case management, and they're
(17:57):
all all trained in that, they'reall licensed and work very closely with the
Prosecutor's office to protect seniors from becausethe scammers are so clever anymore. I
was particularly impacted by how much thescammers use that sense of loneliness to pray
(18:19):
on people, and a lot ofthe examples of people who had been victimized
were through romantic scams, frankly,because you know, you do have so
many widows and widowers or people whomaybe you know were never married or whatever,
but they're just lonely, and sosomebody starts to take an interest and
(18:41):
often is not even who they're presentingthemselves to be. They're using pictures or
all it takes oftentimes is just someoneto show an interest or to listen.
My guest is Sarah Solenza, thechief giving officer at Meals on Wheels.
We've got a lot more coming upbecause a lot of times when seniors are
referred into our program, they areon the verge of losing their apartment or
(19:06):
losing their home. Next on iHeartCincy, This is fifty five karc an
iHeartRadio Station. iHeartRadio and ABC bringyou New Year's rack and Eve with epic
performances by Green Day, Janelle Money, Jelly Roll, Pluda, Chris Megan,
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(19:27):
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(19:47):
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com. Thanks for listening with iHeartRadioin twenty twenty three, and happy New
(20:08):
Year from us and our friends atStatefarm. This is iHeart CINCI, a
tri state public affairs program here inCincinnati. I'm your host, Sandy Collins.
My guest today is from Meals onWheels. Sarah Solenza is the chief
giving officer. You can find Mealson Wheels at much more than a meal
(20:30):
dot org. Our social service isin addition to that partnership with the Justice
Unit. They're just such a deepbench of professionals and can really provide the
service to the level of our olderneighbors needs. Some people just need a
little bit of help with managing theirmail and scheduling doctor's appointments and sort of
(20:52):
keeping up with things to make surethat the bills are paid and they're sort
of maintaining that stability in their home. Some people need significantly more case management
all the way to guardianship. Wecan actually if someone is at particular risk
(21:14):
in their life and doesn't have anysafe people and they don't have the cognitive
ability to manage their own affairs,our professionals can actually work with the local
court to take over that responsibility andbecome their guardian. And once things are
stabilized, we have highly trained volunteersthat can take that on for the long
(21:37):
term. And that is such animportant thing when it comes to homelessness prevention
because a lot of times when seniorsare referred into our program, they are
on the verge of losing their apartmentor losing their home, and when our
social workers step in, it reallytakes moving heaven and earth to prevent that
(21:59):
from happening. And so the combinationof those professional skills with private funding that
we're able to raise, we're ableto use emergency funds to you know,
pay off some unpaid things and getpeople where they need to be. Talking
with Sarah Solenza, she is thechief giving officer at Meals on Wheels and
(22:21):
you have a large fundraiser coming upin March. Let's talk about Meals Madness
Gala and your special honoree that nightis someone close to our hearts here at
our Heart Radio. So let's goahead and talk about the gala where it's
going to be. What are wegoing to do at the Meals Madness Gala.
(22:41):
Yeah, it takes money to makethe wheels go round at Meals on
Wheels, so we're excited. Wemerged this last year with another organization called
fifty five North and they had previouslyhad a gala, and so we decided
to rebrand at gala. So we'rehaving the Meals Madness Gala March twenty first
(23:03):
at the Hard Rock Casino, Cincinnati, and probably a lot of y'all know
that March twenty first is the firstnight of the NCAA Tournament, so we're
going to make the most of itand have a whole lot of fun at
the casino. We'll have the sportsbetting kiosks up in the party area,
plenty of TVs. Of course,we'll have plenty of TVs. We're going
(23:25):
to have great music, The ChuckTaylors will be there, and it'll be
a really fun night. The attirewe decided we'll be court side cocktail,
so whatever that means to you,look look cute, look like a basketball
wife where your jay's I don't knowwhatever that means to you. Courtside cocktail.
And the really fun thing to allof us here in the iHeart Studios
(23:47):
is that our very own DJ Hodgeis our honoree. DJ's done a lot
of really awesome things in this communitythat a lot of people don't even know
about, and is a very generousperson and is a board member at Meals
on Wheels and so we're very excitedto honor him for his commitment in the
community. DJ's a great guy.He is the top dog here at iHeart
(24:11):
Cincinnati and he's actually the president ofthe division of our area and I believe
it's Pittsburgh. Yeah good, I'mglad, you know, yeah, because
he just got this big promotion andyeah, to make sure we had his
title right on the invite for theYou do have to be twenty one and
over to go to this party becauseit is at the Casino, and I've
(24:33):
been to a couple of events thereat the Casino. They do a great
job, a lot of room,a lot of fun, a lot of
energy, and of course, thewhole point is to raise a lot of
money for Meals on Wheels so thatyou can continue to do all these great
services from the Summer Crisis program tomake sure that people have air conditioning or
they're cool enough in the summertime,to coordinating their care, transportation to medical
(24:56):
appointments and so much more. Ifyou want to find out more about Meals
on Wheels, which is the websiteis, I love it go ahead much
more than a meal dot org,much more than a meal dot org as
a caregiver. And you know you'rein your forties, fifties, sixties,
your parents are getting up there.It starts to become very daunting as to
where do I start. You know, my parents don't need anything yet,
(25:19):
but where do I start? AndI think that there are so many great
agencies in town that take care ofthe seniors. Because you partner with so
many organizations and groups, a greatplace to at least get started with Meals
on Wheels and say what can youdo to help? And I know you'll
all be there to do that.So all right, if you want the
(25:40):
Meals Madness Gala information, of course, it's March twenty first of next year,
the beginning night of March Madness forbasketball in the college basketball Arena.
So Sarah, thank you so muchfor being here. And Sarah, if
there's anything else we can do foryou, just let us know, well
you let us know after the galahow things went come back, and yeah,
on once you get a few day'srest, and I'd love to because
(26:02):
we have plenty of exciting things onthe horizon. Consider this invitation an open
invitation to be on the show.Thank you, Sandy, Thank you for
the work you do. All right. If you'd like to have more information
about the Meals Madness Gala on Marchtwenty first, Meals on Wheels itself,
or any of the programs and resourcesthey offer, just go to their website.
(26:22):
Much more than a meal dot org. That's much more than a meal
dot org. Glad you could behere with us this week. If you've
got an idea for a show,you have any questions or comments, you
can send it to me in anemail. Send it to Iheartsincy at iHeartMedia
dot com on Sandy Collins until nextweek. Enjoy the new year and we'll
(26:42):
see you then. Iheartsincy is aproduction of iHeartMedia, Cincinnati,
This week on iHeart suit it isso good to know that when you need
a hand in Cincinnati, there's someonewho will reach out and take yours.
For senior citizens here in the TriState, there are many challenges from reduced
incomes, to isolation and loneliness,even hunger, and that's where Meals on
Wheels comes in. It's not enoughto just provide that nutrition. We really
(00:28):
have to provide those wrap around servicesto make sure that people are supported and
independent in their homes and living withdignity the way that they want to.
My guest today is Sarah Solenza.She's the Chief Giving Officer of Meals on
Wheels Southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky.She's spent her career dedicated to helping Tri
State residents. You're going to hearmore about the amazing nutrition program at Meals
(00:51):
on Wheels and you may be surprisedby the number of other services they provide
to make your golden years at homesafer and HEALTHIERO On iHeart Cincy with Sandy
Collins. Well, looking at thecalendar, we're wrapping up twenty twenty three,
I say good riddance. I'm SandyCollins at this time of the year,
though, it's great to reflect onthe major changes that we've had,
(01:12):
the good things that have happened,express relief at the things that we face,
the challenges like inflation and illness,gas prices and crazy politics. But
looking forward is inspiring as we lookinto twenty twenty four. My guest today
has brought a boatload of information aboutresources for families and senior citizens here in
(01:32):
the tri State, along with apersonal invitation to a big party in March
that'll raise money to keep their missiongoing and give people a chance to have
a little fun during March Madness.My guest Sarah Solenza, the chief giving
officer at Meals on Wheels. SarahSelenza, thank you for being here on
iHeart Sinsey on this iHeartRadio station andyou're at Meals on Wheels. Tell me
(01:57):
how you came to that organization,and I understand you have a long history
of public service jobs and a realfocus in your career on helping people.
Thanks for having me, Sandy,I appreciate it. Yeah. I actually
I'm a born and raised Cincinnati girland I started out in social work.
I went to the University of Cincinnatiand graduated from the Social work department there
(02:21):
and started out with Hamilton County Children'sServices and worked with children and families for
several years. And then I waswith the United Way and I was with
Freestore Food Bank for years, andthen I moved over into the healthcare space
and worked with a couple of healthcarecharities, the Crons and Colitis Foundation and
(02:43):
the National MS Society, and thenI found myself working for the senior population
with Meals on Wheels. It's beenalmost four years now, and it's been
quite a wild four years because Istarted in February of twenty twenty, right
before right before the cald got wild. Yeah, wow, right, So
(03:04):
you didn't see that coming at all. No. In fact, I remember
the second week on the job,we sat and had a meeting with the
leadership team. We had gotten amessage from our partners at the Council on
Aging, which is the regional administratorfor a lot of the funding for elder
(03:28):
care locally, that you know,there was this this weird virus coming and
that there might be some supply chainissues that could affect elders especially and they
might have a hard time getting tothe store getting supplies they need. And
the organization serving the seniors might wantto stock up on some things so that
we could deliver extras. And youknow, it was hard at that time
(03:49):
for people to take that to HEED. But yeah, we had no idea.
I keep it was going to goright right. Yeah, But Jennifer
Steel, our CEO at the time, I and a friend of mine who's
now in San Francisco. I mentionedto you. She said, yeah,
I think we need to take thisseriously. And we did. We stocked
up and we were sure glad wedid. Meals on Wheels is not just
(04:14):
feeding senior citizens in their homes,as I've come to find out after meeting
you and doing some research on Mealson Wheels. Let's talk about the mission
in over you know, overall,look at the mission, and then we'll
talk about the many other services thatyou provide that the name does not evoke.
I mean, there's a lot here, So let's talk about that.
(04:35):
First of all, who's eligible forMeals on wheels? Who do you serve?
What's the magnitude of the service.Yeah, so, you know,
I always liken Meals on Wheels tolike a brand name like Kleenex or band
Aid. You know, you sayMeals on Wheels and people immediately recognize it
(04:59):
and think they they know what itis, and universally apply the name Meals
on Wheels to a lot of differentorganizations and services, which is which is
true. A lot of organizations allover the country provide that program. But
our local Meals on Wheels organization,Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky,
is actually one of the largest nonprofitsin the region. We serve eight
(05:23):
counties in Northern Kentucky and five countiesin Ohio. We have over ten thousand
seniors here locally that are touched byour services, and we work with partners
on both sides of the river.Our largest funders and partners are the Council
on Aging on the Ohio side andthe Northern Kentucky Area Development District on the
(05:45):
Kentucky side, And we really areworking to do we like to say so
much more than a meal. Infact, that's our tagline and our website,
much more than a meal dot org. And to your point, it's
not enough to just provide that nutrition. We really have to provide those wrap
(06:06):
around services to make sure that peopleare supported and independent in their homes.
And living with dignity the way thatthey want to, and aging the way
that they want to. The Mealson Wheels program itself, you offer free
meals delivered to the homes of seniorcitizens. How often, how much,
(06:30):
and how do they get signed up? So anyone who is sixty and over
who's home bound, we use thatterm, but it essentially means that someone
who can't get out and drive orget to the grocery store or prepare their
own meals and their home easily,and or has a medical condition that makes
(06:50):
it hard for them to prepare mealsthat meet their prescription diet needs would qualify
for those meal services. And theway they would qualify for those services is
a lot of times through the Councilon Aging, because that's like a clearing
house for a lot of supportive seniorservices. And then we become a vendor
(07:11):
for those programs, and that caninclude the meals, it might also include
transportation to help them get to medicalappointments or to social activities, or to
necessary things like getting their haircut orto do a grocery run if they're able
to do that. And then wealso have the Senior Center, We have
(07:35):
the over the Ryan Senior Center,which we own and operate. We also
provide group meals to twenty two locationsthroughout the region Atich I thought was really
sweet. You know, we're goingto provide the food, but we also
want to help you find companions likeyourself, and so you provide it in
a group setting and yeah, it'slike a like a lunch. Yeah you
(07:58):
ought to see. So I livein and and I'm on the advisory committee
of the Anderson Senior Center, andso I sat by there, and then
like the Green Township Senior Center isanother one where we have and those are
two just like really big thriving seniorcenter. So I'll use those for example.
But it is it is remarkable tosee how many folks are there on
(08:20):
a daily basis, not just forthe meal but for all of the social
activities. But the meal really becomessomething that people congregate around, and we're
so we're so proud to do that. And you know Mike Beck, who
is over all of our food services, and he runs just a awesome team
(08:43):
in our kitchen, which a lotof people don't realize that that we actually
prepare all of our meals and ourown package them and package them. I
mean, we've got this year.By the end of the year, we
were up to forty eight hundred mealsa day going out the door Price hill.
Right up at the top of thehill is where our kitchen is.
But Mike Beck said something to meone day. He said, I don't
(09:05):
just want this to be an adequatemeal. I want this to be a
special meal for people. And itwas when we were up in Westchester,
and you know, he was likethinking about which plastic wear was being provided
with the service. And because ifhe can't butter the role because the knife
breaks, because it's so cheap,what is it right? Right? And
(09:28):
Mike has a background in catering.We get those a lot here on the
radio station. I can't butter mybread, yeah, you know. And
it's like we have so many restrictionsbecause of the dietary compliance issues. Sure,
you're talking about gluten, you're talkingabout sugar, you're talking about salt,
right, because we want it tobe healthy, right, We want
to want to make sure that we'reproviding and that's so attrition for people.
(09:52):
But it really is a balance ofmaking it a good experience as well.
And so much of what Meals onWheel's reputation is is also touching the loneliness
of someone who literally is you know, maybe doesn't have anybody left in their
family, and they're you know,they're in their home and they don't have
any real social life anymore. Andso seeing that meals on Wheel's person helps
(10:18):
keep them connected. And when Iwas younger, I remember thinking, well,
you know, why are so manypeople alone? You know, all
my friends have all these families andall these kids, and why are so
many elderly people alone. Well,get as I approach that age, I
start to realize, and I thinkpeople start to see that. People start,
(10:39):
you know, dying off, andpeople start going away, and all
of a sudden, you know,half of your support systems gone. And
so it's easily it happens. It'snot an economic thing. I would imagine
you would agree with me on that. It's not an economic thing. It's
not a political thing, it's nota racial thing. It is a human
candation of just needing people around tokeep you engaged. And I love that
(11:05):
part about Meals on Wheels. Youknow, that's a really important point that
you make and something that's remarkable aboutthe group Meals is there's no economic standards
for those that the senior centers.Nobody has to qualify to go and have
those meals. But not everybody necessarilyfeels like they would want to go to
(11:31):
a senior center. And we've donea lot of research around that. In
the last couple of years, weactually engaged a market research firm to call
people all over the region and talkto them about their awareness of our local
senior centers and where they could gofor a meal if they wanted one,
(11:52):
and would they And we've got somereally interesting answers, particularly from men,
because when you walk into any seniorcenter, it's mostly women that are there,
and you know, that's not justabout gender, it's also about personalities
and whose joiners and who's not.And you know, if you weren't a
(12:13):
joiner when you're younger, you're probablynot going to be when you're older.
And we but we did find somesome themes and men in particular tend to
conflate senior centers with nursing homes andyou know, felt like if they darkened
the door of a senior center thatwas basically going into a nursing home and
(12:35):
had less interest in doing that Wealso found that people really really wanted a
welcoming environment, but it's a littlehard to figure out what that means to
all people. All we know isthat senior centers aren't necessarily that for all
(13:00):
people. Let's just like go intoa church and you're all by yourself,
and then the minister says, let'swelcome all of our visitors, and you're
thinking, Okay, this could benice, and then they either make you
stand up or you have to shakethe hands of all these people, and
or if they don't mention you atall, then you feel neglected. So
I can just imagine how difficult itis to try to figure out how do
(13:20):
you make people feel welcome without embarrassingthem or ignoring them. We worked really
hard with our partners to offer somesome new options. We bought a food
truck and we have when the weatheris nice, we've been taking the meals
to the people. We roll ourfood truck up to senior buildings and parks
(13:43):
and places in the community so thatwe can provide those meals in a different
way, in a way that feelsa little bit normal, a little bit
more normal. We love doing thatand great idea. Yeah, I mean
it seems so simple. But letme tell you what. I'm going to
go back to keep talking about MikeBeck, our food guy. It's not
easy to operate a food truck,but he has made it happen with a
(14:07):
whole lot of blood, sweat andtears and magic, and we're real proud
to offer that. The other thingis we've partnered with a couple of restaurants
and the Council on Aging to dowhat's called the Swipe and Dine program,
And it's kind of like a collegedining card, and so the seniors,
instead of going into a senior center, they get like a card and can
(14:33):
go into a restaurant and sit downand have a meal with their friends.
And they're getting that group meal experiencewith who they want, in a place
where they want, and it's onour dime. So that is just so
generous because not only you thinking itand being able to make it happen,
but then of course all of thepeople that financially support that program, that
(14:56):
is just that's mind blowing. Andthat's it's just the beginning, folks,
that's just the beginning of all thecool things that meals and wheels here in
the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky area.Sarah Solenza is here. She's a chief
giving officer at Meals on Wheels andwe are talking about battling hunger and loneliness
in the senior community and also helpingprotect them a little bit. Let's get
(15:20):
into some of these programs that youalso have, these other support services that
folks may not be aware that youdo. You said you have the Senior
Center and transportation pet support. That'svery interesting because, as we know,
feeding a pet can be expensive andhard to get to. What do you
(15:41):
do for folks with pets? Yeah, expensive, hard to get to,
cumbersome. I mean those bags ofdog food and they're heavy, right,
They're hard to pick up and emptyinto the bin. And so through private
donations and support, we're able topurchase pet food in bulk and then volunteers
break it down into smaller packaging thatthen we deliver along with our people food
(16:06):
to customers who need that extra support. The delivered once a week, yeah,
yeah, everything's delivered once a week. Yeah. Yeah. We do
have some customers that get more frequentdelivery if they need that more regular check
in, but most people get aweekly delivery and you know, that's actually
a really important point, Sandy,is that I keep making that much more
(16:27):
than a meal point. It's notjust a food drop off, you know,
it really is a well check anda visit. Our drivers are some
of the smartest, most loyal toour customers, and generous employees. They
(16:48):
really take care of our seniors andso when they stop by, they are
like looking out for safety issues andthey know if something's maybe a little off
and you know, did you takeyour Medicare today? And those relationships they
end up running deep, you know. And a lot of our drivers aren't
on their second careers. A lotof them are our veterans or retired like
(17:11):
police or fire and it's you know, teachers, people who have been caregivers
and public servants their whole lives.We have one hundred and fifty employees.
We looked at our mileage recently andwe're driving fifty thousand miles a month.
Oh my, in this region withgas. Can you imagine to have hit
hard to yes? Yeah. Tellme about the Elder Justice Unit that you
(17:36):
operate through Meals on Wheels that helpsseniors protect against fraud, scams and other
crimes. So the Elder Justice Unitis actually through the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.
That's Lussa Powers and her team overthere, and we have partnered with
them. Our team of social workersspecialized in financial case management, and they're
(17:57):
all all trained in that, they'reall licensed and work very closely with the
Prosecutor's office to protect seniors from becausethe scammers are so clever anymore. I
was particularly impacted by how much thescammers use that sense of loneliness to pray
(18:19):
on people, and a lot ofthe examples of people who had been victimized
were through romantic scams, frankly,because you know, you do have so
many widows and widowers or people whomaybe you know were never married or whatever,
but they're just lonely, and sosomebody starts to take an interest and
(18:41):
often is not even who they're presentingthemselves to be. They're using pictures or
all it takes oftentimes is just someoneto show an interest or to listen.
My guest is Sarah Solenza, thechief giving officer at Meals on Wheels.
We've got a lot more coming upbecause a lot of times when seniors are
referred into our program, they areon the verge of losing their apartment or
(19:06):
losing their home. Next on iHeartCincy, This is fifty five karc an
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(20:08):
Year from us and our friends atStatefarm. This is iHeart CINCI, a
tri state public affairs program here inCincinnati. I'm your host, Sandy Collins.
My guest today is from Meals onWheels. Sarah Solenza is the chief
giving officer. You can find Mealson Wheels at much more than a meal
(20:30):
dot org. Our social service isin addition to that partnership with the Justice
Unit. They're just such a deepbench of professionals and can really provide the
service to the level of our olderneighbors needs. Some people just need a
little bit of help with managing theirmail and scheduling doctor's appointments and sort of
(20:52):
keeping up with things to make surethat the bills are paid and they're sort
of maintaining that stability in their home. Some people need significantly more case management
all the way to guardianship. Wecan actually if someone is at particular risk
(21:14):
in their life and doesn't have anysafe people and they don't have the cognitive
ability to manage their own affairs,our professionals can actually work with the local
court to take over that responsibility andbecome their guardian. And once things are
stabilized, we have highly trained volunteersthat can take that on for the long
(21:37):
term. And that is such animportant thing when it comes to homelessness prevention
because a lot of times when seniorsare referred into our program, they are
on the verge of losing their apartmentor losing their home, and when our
social workers step in, it reallytakes moving heaven and earth to prevent that
(21:59):
from happening. And so the combinationof those professional skills with private funding that
we're able to raise, we're ableto use emergency funds to you know,
pay off some unpaid things and getpeople where they need to be. Talking
with Sarah Solenza, she is thechief giving officer at Meals on Wheels and
(22:21):
you have a large fundraiser coming upin March. Let's talk about Meals Madness
Gala and your special honoree that nightis someone close to our hearts here at
our Heart Radio. So let's goahead and talk about the gala where it's
going to be. What are wegoing to do at the Meals Madness Gala.
(22:41):
Yeah, it takes money to makethe wheels go round at Meals on
Wheels, so we're excited. Wemerged this last year with another organization called
fifty five North and they had previouslyhad a gala, and so we decided
to rebrand at gala. So we'rehaving the Meals Madness Gala March twenty first
(23:03):
at the Hard Rock Casino, Cincinnati, and probably a lot of y'all know
that March twenty first is the firstnight of the NCAA Tournament, so we're
going to make the most of itand have a whole lot of fun at
the casino. We'll have the sportsbetting kiosks up in the party area,
plenty of TVs. Of course,we'll have plenty of TVs. We're going
(23:25):
to have great music, The ChuckTaylors will be there, and it'll be
a really fun night. The attirewe decided we'll be court side cocktail,
so whatever that means to you,look look cute, look like a basketball
wife where your jay's I don't knowwhatever that means to you. Courtside cocktail.
And the really fun thing to allof us here in the iHeart Studios
(23:47):
is that our very own DJ Hodgeis our honoree. DJ's done a lot
of really awesome things in this communitythat a lot of people don't even know
about, and is a very generousperson and is a board member at Meals
on Wheels and so we're very excitedto honor him for his commitment in the
community. DJ's a great guy.He is the top dog here at iHeart
(24:11):
Cincinnati and he's actually the president ofthe division of our area and I believe
it's Pittsburgh. Yeah good, I'mglad, you know, yeah, because
he just got this big promotion andyeah, to make sure we had his
title right on the invite for theYou do have to be twenty one and
over to go to this party becauseit is at the Casino, and I've
(24:33):
been to a couple of events thereat the Casino. They do a great
job, a lot of room,a lot of fun, a lot of
energy, and of course, thewhole point is to raise a lot of
money for Meals on Wheels so thatyou can continue to do all these great
services from the Summer Crisis program tomake sure that people have air conditioning or
they're cool enough in the summertime,to coordinating their care, transportation to medical
(24:56):
appointments and so much more. Ifyou want to find out more about Meals
on Wheels, which is the websiteis, I love it go ahead much
more than a meal dot org,much more than a meal dot org as
a caregiver. And you know you'rein your forties, fifties, sixties,
your parents are getting up there.It starts to become very daunting as to
where do I start. You know, my parents don't need anything yet,
(25:19):
but where do I start? AndI think that there are so many great
agencies in town that take care ofthe seniors. Because you partner with so
many organizations and groups, a greatplace to at least get started with Meals
on Wheels and say what can youdo to help? And I know you'll
all be there to do that.So all right, if you want the
(25:40):
Meals Madness Gala information, of course, it's March twenty first of next year,
the beginning night of March Madness forbasketball in the college basketball Arena.
So Sarah, thank you so muchfor being here. And Sarah, if
there's anything else we can do foryou, just let us know, well
you let us know after the galahow things went come back, and yeah,
on once you get a few day'srest, and I'd love to because
(26:02):
we have plenty of exciting things onthe horizon. Consider this invitation an open
invitation to be on the show.Thank you, Sandy, Thank you for
the work you do. All right. If you'd like to have more information
about the Meals Madness Gala on Marchtwenty first, Meals on Wheels itself,
or any of the programs and resourcesthey offer, just go to their website.
(26:22):
Much more than a meal dot org. That's much more than a meal
dot org. Glad you could behere with us this week. If you've
got an idea for a show,you have any questions or comments, you
can send it to me in anemail. Send it to Iheartsincy at iHeartMedia
dot com on Sandy Collins until nextweek. Enjoy the new year and we'll
(26:42):
see you then. Iheartsincy is aproduction of iHeartMedia, Cincinnati,
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