Burlington County Delivers 51K Meals To Seniors Amid Pandemic

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County has delivered more than 50,000 meals to home bound senior citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The pandemic has been hard on all of us, but most of all our seniors. Many of them have felt isolated inside their homes due to the virus,” Burlington County Board Director Felicia Hopson said. “Through our County Meals-on-Wheels program, we’ve made sure anyone home bound can still get a nutritious, home-made meal regularly.”

Seniors 60 years old and older are eligible for the county’s Meals-on-Wheels program, which existed before the start of the pandemic, but demand has ballooned since March, officials said.

There were just over 51,000 meals delivered from April through August, a 17 percent compared to the same five months last year. The program has delivered meals to just over 630 people each week.

“That’s 600-plus seniors who didn’t have to brave crowds at supermarkets or fend for themselves for food, plus our drivers safely interact with the seniors they serve. Even that brief interaction and sense of camaraderie with our drivers can be helpful during this time when many of our vulnerable residents feel so isolated,” said Hopson, who serves as the board’s liaison to the Department of Human Services and Office on Aging.

The county also has a Congregate Nutrition Program that serves lunches for seniors at four nutrition sites in Beverly, Bordentown, Moorestown, Mount Holly, as well as at the Browns Mills Senior Center in Pemberton Township.

As part of the program, the county contracts with drivers to transport eligible seniors to the nutrition sites for the weekday meals and social activities. The congregate nutrition sites have remained closed due to the pandemic, and many of the seniors who participated in the daily meals at the sites have enrolled in the Meals-on-Wheels program, officials said.

On Wednesday, the Burlington County Board voted unanimously to extend its contract with Colonial Village Catering Services Inc., a Pemberton Borough-based catering business, to supply meals for both Meals-on-Wheels and the Congregate Programs.

Colonial Village is expected to prepare more than 185,000 meals next year, officials said.

“The Meals-on-Wheels program is exactly the kind of service our county provides that many of our residents rely upon. It was a lifeline before the pandemic hit, but the crisis has magnified its importance,” Hopson said. “I’m so proud of the work our Office on Aging is performing to help our seniors through this challenging time.”

Seniors who want to enroll in the program or want more information can call the Office on Aging at 609-702-7053 or email BCOfficeonAging@co.burlington.nj.us.

Anyone who wants to donate to support the Meals-on-Wheels and Seniors Congregate Nutrition Program can send checks to Burlington County Office on Aging, 49 Rancocas Road, P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly, NJ, 08060.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.