What does “all of Houghton County” mean?

If the Elder Nutrition Services millage proposal passes on August 5, we will bring Meals on Wheels to all of Houghton County - but what does that mean?

Imagine you’re a homebound senior in Houghton County. Perhaps you are no longer able to drive, maybe your family doesn’t live nearby, maybe you have no family left at all; but you proudly continue to age in place in the family home you’ve loved for many years. It’s the afternoon and your dedicated delivery driver from Meals on Wheels has just dropped off your meal. You spend a few moments catching up with each other and chatting about life before they move on to their next stop. After enjoying your meal, you accidentally take a fall and are unable to call for help. You lay on the floor for the whole night before your driver comes back to deliver your next meal.

For many seniors in our Meals on Wheels program, a delivery is about more than a hot meal. It’s about that moment of connection. It’s about knowing someone will be there to visit with you. It’s about knowing that you won’t be on the floor forever. Someone will be there.

This isn’t just a one-off story. More than 40 percent of the seniors we serve say that their delivery driver is the only person they see most days. These brief, but vital, check-ins from their delivery driver not only brighten their day, but in some cases, save lives. Our drivers have reported finding seniors who have fallen, experienced a medical emergency and in the hardest of cases, passed away.

Even having doubled the number of seniors served each day, we estimate that we are reaching as little as 10 percent of Houghton County seniors who need this service. Though many of the small communities in our region, like Donken, Jacobsville and Kenton are often overlooked, they are no less deserving of nourishment, safety and human connection provided by the program.

Right now, Meals on Wheels delivers to Laurium, Lake Linden, Dollar Bay, Hancock, Houghton, South Range and Chassell, and hosts regular group meals at three Meet & Eat sites in the county. While we serve all of these communities, there are still people within three miles of our kitchen who are outside our current delivery routes. Even for seniors living within an existing route, a waiting list delays them from receiving services by as much as six months after a request has been made.

If supported by voters, Copper Shores Meals on Wheels will have the means to eliminate the current waiting list in Houghton County, ensure the continuation of home-delivered meals and Meet & Eat sites, and expand -- or tailor similar services -- to additional Houghton County service areas.

We want to serve every eligible senior in Houghton County, in every remote area and small town. That means anyone 60 years of age or older may qualify for home-deliveries, based not on financial status, but on the level of support they need with daily living activities like cooking, bathing, using stairs, doing laundry, handling finances, using transportation and more. Those who do not need support with activities of daily living are welcome to join us at one of our Meet & Eat sites, which will also be expanded to more communities throughout the county. Here, folks who are still able to leave home independently can enjoy the same fresh and scratch-cooked meals, while gathering with friends and fellow seniors.

Isolation is more than an emotional hardship, it’s a health risk faced by hundreds, if not thousands, of seniors in Houghton County. We believe no senior in Houghton County should be left behind because of where they live. Learn more about the work being done to serve local seniors by visiting our Meals on Wheels page.