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Letter from the Front
from Carol Bretz, Executive DirectorFocus on - CAA's Senior Nutrition Program
One of the CAA’s oldest and most beneficial programs is the senior nutrition program. In 1973 the CAA received a pilot grant of $8,000 from the federal Office of Economic Opportunity to establish a congregate meal site for senior citizens. The site was located in Fawcett Apartments, a high-rise senior housing complex in East Liverpool, Ohio. Hot, nutritious lunches were served for 130 days to persons 60 years of age and older and their spouses. Mrs. Ernestine (Teenie) Jones was the program coordinator and 36 seniors received a free meal each day for the duration of the project.
In other news in 1973, raw steel production in Ohio reached its peak. Ohio ranked 2nd in the nation in raw steel production, and produced 17.6% of U.S. raw steel. Steel drove Ohio’s economy and was the foundation of the economy of northeastern Ohio, including Columbiana County. Unemployment was at an all time low since World War II; the U.S. Annual Unemployment rate for 1973 was 4.9%, Ohio’s and Columbiana County’s was 4.3%. Richard Nixon was President. The U.S. pulled out of Vietnam, leaving South Vietnam to the control of Communist North Vietnam.
Minutes of the 16 January 1974 CAA Board of Trustees meeting note the CAA received a grant through the Older Americans Act of 1965 to establish permanent senior nutrition sites in East Liverpool, Wellsville, and Salineville. 
Alyce Carter of Wellsville was hired as Director and Iris Marshalek of Lisbon, was hired as Assistant Director. A second East Liverpool site was added in the East End at the Community Resource Center. Seventy people would be served daily and 3 local caterers provided the meals. Senior Nutrition sites were established in Salem and East Palestine in 1975. Sites were added in Lisbon and Leetonia in 1976. Logistical issues of dealing with individual caterers for each site caused the CAA and District XI Area Agency on Aging to explore the feasibility of establishing a Central Kitchen Facility for meal preparation. Alyce Carter resigned in 1978 and Iris Marshalek moved into the Director’s position which she held until 2002.
The Central Kitchen opened in 1979 in the Jim Kenny Center in Wellsville, Ohio. The County Board of Commissioners donated $15,000 in kitchen equipment from the County Home, which had closed. A grant of $38,902 from the Area Agency on Aging paid for additional equipment and staff. Meals for all senior nutrition sites were prepared on site and delivered to the congregate sites throughout the county. The kitchen was staffed by 4 employees.
By 1981 funding for many social service programs was reduced or eliminated in President Ronald Reagan’s budget. 
Funding for services to senior citizens remained flat even as demand for services and the cost to deliver those services increased. It was no longer financially feasible for the CAA to operate the Central Kitchen. It closed in 1981. The CAA began a long relationship with East Liverpool City Hospital’s for profit arm; American Community Services. ACS provided high quality meals to our Senior Nutrition program and our Head Start program until 2000 when changes in USDA regulations made it unprofitable for ACS to continue to sell meals to the CAA. We have purchased meals from Valley Foods, Inc. of Youngstown, Ohio since then.
The CAA had not been successful in establishing a congregate site in Columbiana. In 1989 staff reached an agreement with Columbiana Meals on Wheels to serve home delivered low income Columbiana Village residents with home delivered meals paid for by the CAA. This agreement continues today and an average of 20 individuals in Columbiana receive meals daily.
By the early 1990’s it was clear that the East Palestine Nutrition Site’s days were numbered as participation dropped to the point that it was not cost effective to continue to pay staff to work at the site. CAA worked out an arrangement with a congregate meal site in New Springfield, in Mahoning County, just about 6 miles from East Palestine, and CAA busses transported East Palestine seniors to this site for a number of years.
Program demographics have changed significantly in the 34 years since we began the Senior Nutrition Program. Back in the early years, the majority of clients were under 75 years old and almost 90% attended the congregate sites. By 2006 the average age of senior nutrition participants was 79 and 78% of the meals are home delivered as our population becomes increasingly older and more frail.
As the need for home delivered meals increased the CAA could no longer rely solely on volunteers to deliver the meals. In 1993 the CAA purchased a Chevy S-10 Hot Shot food delivery truck that had a heated compartment and a cooling compartment. The truck enabled us to expand our home delivered meal service. Currently the CAA operates 5 home delivered meal routes and recently expanded service in Unity and Middleton Townships. For more information about home delivered meals please email Karen Lewis at klewis@caaofcc.org.
In 2006 the CAA served a total of 67,616 meals to seniors and developmentally disabled adults under age 60. 52,509 or 78% of these meals were home delivered and 15,107 or 22% were served at congregate sites. Funding for the program comes from the Older Americans Act via District XI Area Agency on Aging, PASSPORT, the CAA’s Community Services Block Grant, the Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Services Waiver IV Program, and client donations. The 2006 total budget was $396,804. 3 full-time and 9 part-time staff and one part time Senior Aide work for the Senior Nutrition Program.
Staff include Personna Grim, Program Coordinator. Personna came to work at the CAA in 1989 as a HEAP Receptionist. She moved into the position of Teacher’s Aide for Head Start and worked in Head Start for 12 years until she took the position of Senior Services Coordinator in Feb. 2002. She is a graduate of the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center and the Appalachian Leadership Academy. She and her husband Donny live in Irondale, Ohio. Personna also serves on the Board of the Friends of Kyes Committee, which raises funds for the Kyes Homes for Abused and Neglected Girls in East Palestine, Ohio.
Karen Lewis began working at the CAA in June 1991 as a Site Aide. She moved into her current position as Senior Service Aide in Nov. 1993. She is a graduate of Lisbon High School and is married to Richard Lewis. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. She is very active in her church, Believers Christian Fellowship.
Sandy Merrill is the Senior Service Aide for Senior Nutrition and began working at the CAA as the Lisbon Congregate Site Manager. She is a graduate of South Range High School and is married to Larry Merrill. She has 2 sons and 1 daughter. She is very involved with the Leetonia School Band and Athletic Boosters.
Vanessa Heck is the Lisbon Route Driver. She began working at CAA in 2006. She is a graduate of South Range High School and is married to Ed Heck. She has one daughter.
Marie Weingart-Roberts is the Salem Route Driver. She began working at the CAA in 2003. She is a graduate of West Branch High School. Marie has one daughter and one son.
Mike Gorby is the East Route Driver. He began working at CAA in 2005. He is a graduate of Beaver Local High School and is married to Loretta Gorby. They have three children.
Theresa Sinsel is the Fawcett Site Manager and she began working for CAA in 2007. She is a graduate of West Virginia Northern Community College with a Culinary Arts Degree and is a graduate of Weir High. She is married to Kenneth Sinsel and has 4 children.
Virginia Wining is the Leetonia Site Manager and she began working for CAA in 2001. She is a graduate of Rayen High School and attended classes at YSU. She is married to Henry Wining and has 6 children, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.
Alta Martin is the Salineville Site Manager and she began working for CAA in 1991. She has six children, 20 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Virginia Mitchell is the Lisbon Site Manager and she began working for CAA in 2006. She is a graduate of David Anderson High School. She has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Charlotte Bowman is the Salem Site Manager and she began working for CAA in 1995. She is a graduate of Salem High School and is married to George Bowman. She has a son and a daughter and two grandchildren.
Marilyn Defalco is the Wellsville Site Manager and began working for CAA in 1989.
Barb May is the Salem Site Senior Aide she began working with CAA in 2007. She is a graduate of Salem High School and attended classes at KSU. She has 3 children, 5 grand children and 2 great grandchildren.
Check out May's Letter from the Front
Check out June's Letter from the Front