Many seniors living in Cincinnati depend on community-based programs to meet their daily needs as they age in place.

Based out of Episcopal Retirement Services’ (ERS) flagship Deupree House retirement community near Hyde Park, the Deupree Meals On Wheels program is one such service, having served Greater Cincinnati’s seniors for over 27 years. And last year was one for the record books.

A record-setting year

Deupree Meals On Wheels has become a trusted resource for seniors living on Cincinnati’s east side. In 2016, it proved just how integral it is to the community.

Last year, the volunteer program achieved a significant milestone. It served 102,688 meals over the course of 2016 — a new single-year record for the program and an increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year’s volume.

In 2017, the program expects to once again
deliver more than 100,000 meals.

Part of the reason for the large leap was due to Deupree Meals On Wheels having added additional service territory last year, through its close cooperation with the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio.

“They are pleased with our service and the way we do business,” said Deupree Meals On Wheels director Susan Susskind. “We start new clients the very next delivery day after the referral, which not all companies do.”

In addition, the Deupree Meals On Wheels program had even more to celebrate:

• its third consecutive perfect audit, as conducted by the Council on Aging;
• no violations on its annual inspections from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Hamilton County Public Health;
• no negative findings on program audits conducted by the Department of Disabilities and a major health insurer.

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“My team has worked so hard,” Susskind said, adding that the Deupree Meals On Wheels program’s outstanding achievements in 2016 made her “feel like screaming from the rooftop.”

In 2017, the program expects to once again deliver more than 100,000 meals. To do so, a lot of support is needed from the community.

More about Deupree Meals On Wheels

Every Tuesday through Friday, Deupree Meals On Wheels volunteers prepare and deliver lunches to several hundred area seniors — some who receive daily delivery and some who receive weekly delivery. Each meal is nutritionally balanced, with an entrée, a vegetable, a salad, a starch and milk or juice.

Meals are tailored to individual needs, so seniors on low-fat, low-sodium and other special diets have no difficulty sticking to their regimens. Frozen meals are provided to some seniors to meet weekend needs.

The program also makes and stores non-perishable meals, which can be used in inclement weather.

For many seniors, the program’s deliveries are an important lifeline. Whereas many Meals On Wheels programs drop off a week’s worth of meals at a time, the Deupree program drops off several times per week, so that volunteer drivers can check in with clients and chat with them.

Such visits aren’t just social courtesies — they’re opportunities to verify residents’ wellbeing. Delivery volunteers are trained to immediately report to their supervisors if seniors don’t answer the door, so that their emergency contacts (and/or first responders) can be quickly notified.

How to support Deupree Meals On Wheels

The program receives financial support from Episcopal Retirement Services’ Good Samaritan Mission, which is in turn funded by donations from caring Cincinnati residents, ERS staffers and local businesses.

A $100 donation to the Good Samaritan Mission is enough for Deupree Meals On Wheels to provide 41 meals to Cincinnati seniors in need. You can make your donation today through our website.

The program is also always looking for dependable volunteers who can help make and deliver meals for the hundreds of area seniors it serves. Volunteers need not volunteer every day of the week — if you have even a few hours a week to give, you’re very much in demand. Learn more here.

And if you, or your senior loved one, needs meal assistance on Cincinnati’s east side, the Deupree Meals On Wheels program stands ready to help. Click here to get in touch and get the help you need to live well into the future as you age in place.