Belgrade senior center to change meal-delivery practices after federal guidance; center awarded $113,500

Senior center manager Lisa Beattie told the Belgrade Senior Center Advisory Board that federal funding guidance now treats social interaction as an essential component of funded nutrition services, and the center will change delivery practices so meals are not simply left at recipients' doors.

"They no longer want any of that to happen. It has to either be their home to receive the meal and have contact with that volunteer, or we can't leave a meal basically is what they're saying," Beattie said, describing training she attended in White Sulphur Springs. She said the center will notify clients and volunteers and aims to implement changes soon, with staff discussing target dates including Aug. 15 or Sept. 1 for phased implementation.

Beattie said the change affects how the center documents congregate meals versus to‑go or Meals on Wheels deliveries. "If we decide we wanna do to go meals, we have to do that different and we get — I don't even know how the funding works for that but it hits a different category," she said, noting separate tracking is required so the social-interaction component is recorded for funded congregate meals.

She also explained rules for frozen meals and meal components: frozen meals must include sufficient items from all required food groups to qualify as a full meal, so the kitchen has adjusted packaging and delivery cadence (for example, offering milk deliveries twice a week) to ensure nutrition compliance.

On funding, Beattie said the center was awarded $113,500 and will receive additional monthly "cash in lieu" payments because regional commodity distributions were discontinued. She estimated cash-in-lieu could be roughly $2,000 per month depending on participation. Beattie added that the center also received a major private gift of $50,000 this year, a contribution board members called "wonderful."

The board did not have a quorum at the July meeting, so minutes and consent-agenda approvals were deferred for email consideration; the meeting adjourned after a motion by Joe Sutton.

Why it matters: The delivery changes will affect volunteer routes and client interactions, require separate program accounting for to‑go meals, and may change how Meals on Wheels and congregate services are counted for funding. The center plans written notices to clients and additional volunteer training before the new rules take effect.