Home Delivered Meals Program FAQs

Our Home Delivered Meals program provides nutritious meals to adults age 60 and older who are unable to prepare or obtain their own food. The potential benefits from the program are:

•  Allows seniors to remain in their own homes.
•  Improved health by eating nutritionally balanced diet, which may prevent hospitalization or moving to a nursing home.
•  Early release from the hospital if meals are available at home.
•  Isolated homebound seniors will receive friendly daily visits.
•  Meal deliveries provide a daily wellness visit.
•  Facilitates appropriate referrals to other needed services.

Home Delivered Meals improve the quality of life for older adults by supporting them staying safely in their own home instead of going to a nursing facility where costs quickly add up. 

• The person must be at least 60 years of age or older, or be the spouse, partner, or unpaid caregiver of a person at least 60 years of age or older.
• The individual must be homebound; i.e., normally is unable to leave the home unassisted, and for whom leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort. A person may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences, such as a trip to the barber/beautician or to attend religious services.
• The person must be unable to participate in the congregate nutrition program because of physical, mental or emotional difficulties, such as:

            -A disabling condition, such as limited physical mobility, cognitive or psychological impairment;

            -Lack of knowledge or skill to select and prepare nourishing and well-balanced meals;

            -Lack of means to obtain or prepare nourishing meals;

            -Lack of incentive to prepare and eat a meal alone; or

            -Lack of an informal support system: has no family, friends, neighbors or others who are both willing and able to perform the service(s) needed, or the
              informal support system needs to be supplemented.

• The person must be able to feed him/herself.
• The person must agree to be home when meals are delivered. (Contact the program coordinator when an absence is unavoidable.)
• Eligibility for the program is not based on income.

We feel privileged that we can assist you by providing a nutritious meal and a friendly hello!  Every day, Benzie Senior Resources delivers on average over 215 meals to Benzie County seniors in need. Each meal costs approximately $7.00 to prepare and deliver, and we receive partial reimbursement of $2.42 from the federal and state government via the Older Americans Act. The remaining $4.58 comes from local funds, donations from individuals, foundations and other grants.

The meals you receive are no cost to you; however, if you wish to donate to the Home Delivered Meal Program, the suggested donation is $3.00 per meal. If you cannot afford the $3.00, please give based on your income and means to pay and use the enclosed envelope for convenience.

Your contribution is voluntary and confidential. You will NOT be denied a meal based on inability to contribute. However, the more funds raised, the more seniors we can feed, especially those in need.

We provide a hot meal Monday through Friday; a fresh daily meal for reheating at the recipients convenience and frozen meals for weekends or holidays. We can also provide breakfast bags. The additional meals is based on if the HDM assessment finds that it is in the best interest of participant.

Our dedicated volunteer drivers start out their day at 9:15 am and are done by 1:00 pm; Monday through Friday. We deliver all over Benzie County.

You, a family member, caregiver or another agency can call us at (231) 525-0600 or toll-free at 1-888-893-1102. We will ask for your name, address, telephone number, health status, etc. Usually we will start you the next business day and then set up a time to meet with you in your home for an assessment at no cost to you.

No. Part of our Home Delivered Meals Program is to see each client for each delivery. If you are not there to receive your meal and have not notified us we will leave a note to contact us. We also do not want to risk food-borne illness by leaving the meals out without knowing when they will be refrigerated or consumed.

All of our meals are prepared by professional kitchen staff at The Gathering Place Senior Center. Our monthly menus are reviewed and approved by a Registered Dietician. We also must meet the most current edition of the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Selected kitchen staff personnel must complete a ServSafe Certification.