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Uncovering critical senior needs in South Carolina

How one city’s plan to increase meal assistance during the pandemic helped create a road map for solving longer-term challenges

It was early spring 2020 when Senior Resources of Columbia, South Carolina, got a desperate phone call from California. The caller was concerned about an elderly family member in the area who had been stuck at home for weeks, with no one checking in. Senior Resources, a nonprofit dedicated to helping seniors stay healthy and independent, sprang into action. Within 24 hours, it had stocked her pantry and set up meal deliveries. “We needed to respond not just with tangible things,” recalls executive director Andrew Boozer, “but also with the reminder that somebody cared.”

Senior Resources has been looking after seniors in Columbia and surrounding Richland County for well over 50 years, providing nutritious meals and programs to help them age in place and in comfort. The agency administers the senior food delivery program Meals on Wheels in the region, and it offers food co-ops, transportation services and wellness centers, along with regular in-person check-ins.

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During the peak of the coronavirus, the need for its services skyrocketed. “Phone calls for our senior nutrition programs increased 600% overnight,” says Boozer. With the help of a $65,000 grant from Bank of America, Senior Resources was quickly able to implement an emergency senior nutrition program. The organization set up 12 drive-through food distribution centers around Richland County, a diverse region that encompasses rural, suburban and urban areas. While Senior Resources had regularly provided meals to some 500 seniors a week, the number rose to more than 2,500 in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic.

But what started out as a temporary solution to critical needs helped Senior Resources identify longer-term challenges. “This situation opened our eyes to the fact that senior nutrition and well-being was much more of a crisis than we were previously aware,” says Boozer. “We now have data points on which ZIP codes need our services the most, and those ZIP codes really overlay with the economic and racial divide that exists in our city.”

Senior Resources is now working with local leaders to help alleviate hunger in previously neglected areas. Private sector support has helped the group move quickly and build something critical for success in these neighborhoods: trust. As Boozer puts it: “The contributions from Bank of America and others have helped validate what we do in our communities.”

As community-based nonprofits seek to address increased needs among the people they serve, Bank of America is committed to supporting those programs. Learn more about the many ways the bank demonstrates that commitment.

9/8/2024

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