While 80-some senior citizens signed a petition protesting the quality of food at the senior meal site, Dorothy Allen told city council Nov. 3 that those comments don’t reflect her opinion.

“As far as I’m concerned the VOA [Volunteers of America] has done a good job,” Allen said.

Her comments preceded a presentation by VOA’s Craig Amerman, who oversees the senior meal sites in eight of the communities served by Region 10. Later in the week, Amerman attended a noon luncheon to address the concerns raised by the seniors in the petition they submitted to Delta City Council.

At the city council meeting, Amerman addressed the complaints one by one, beginning with the quality of the food and the meat in particular. Columbine Senior Services, which provided meals until VOA took over last summer, used flat, processed meat patties which cooked quickly, Amerman said. VOA uses commercial meat cuts rather than processed food. When cooked at high temperatures for short periods of time, the meat comes out tough. As cooks learn to properly prepare those cuts of meat, the meals are improving.

Lola Page, president of the Delta Senior Citizens, said last week that the food has been better lately. Two weeks earlier, at an October city council meeting, she said the food was “absolutely atrocious.”

The petition also stated that the menus are not being prepared by a professional dietitian. Amerman said that’s simply not true. A dietitian creates a daily meal plan and provides assessments for new enrollees.

“These meals are very closely monitored,” Amerman said. “It’s a science to figure out these menus to make sure they meet requirements to be healthy and nutritious.”

To meet those requirements, each tray must contain a certain number of grams of carbohydrates. That’s why separate trays are not prepared for diabetics, the third complaint on the seniors’ petition.

Diabetics are expected to decide for themselves what they can and can not eat on the tray. Carb counts are provided so diabetics can decide what they might need to cut out to stay on schedule.

In response to a complaint about the monthly birthday dinner, Amerman said each meal site has its own preference. The Delta site wants roast beef; other sites like roast turkey, roast pork or baked ham. To simplify meal planning, Amerman said the Wednesday menu rotates between those entrees. Roast beef is featured on the first Wednesday of the month, so that’s when Delta plans its birthday dinner.

Frozen foods are used, as stated in the seniors’ petition, but Amerman said frozen foods are not simply reheated and served. The frozen items are thawed, prepared by the cooks and then served.

A complaint about liver and onions is not unique to Delta, he said, and VOA has responded by providing an alternate entree when liver and onions is on the menu.

Price was another concern for the seniors. Amerman said VOA has no intention of raising prices at this point. “If we came to that bridge we would give them a 30-day notice,” he said.

In response to statements about participation dropping, Amerman said VOA served more meals in the last three months than Columbine did in the same time from last year. In Delta, a decrease of 1.5 persons per day, compared to last year, has been documented.

“We want to make the program work with the revenue that’s there right now, but the reason we’re taking over the program in the first place is that things weren’t working financially,” he added. “We need to look at ways to be more efficient, to keep prices down while providing a meal that’s nutritious.

Cooks pay full price ($6.75) for their meals, prompting the seniors to question why they had to pay at all. That’s an issue of compliance with federal regulations, Amerman said. Staff members under the age of 60 must pay full price.

After addressing each point on the petition, Amerman moved on to other changes that have taken place since VOA took over the meal program.

For example, Columbine Senior Services operated out of Travis House, the building attached to the south side of the senior center. VOA had space available in Eckert, so it made sense for VOA to operate from that location, Amerman said.

“Over time Columbine Senior Services had taken a lot of extras for the Delta site such as making copies, sending out faxes, answering the phones, running the thrift shop. When we moved out those services were pulled. That may contribute to an underlying perception of loss of services,” Amerman said.

Another change on the horizon involves food delivery. There’s an oversized freezer in place at the Delta site but it’s underutilized, poorly positioned for deliveries, and its reliability is questionable. VOA is looking at installing a replacement freezer in Eckert to serve the senior meal sites in Cedaredge, Delta, Hotchkiss and Paonia.

Since VOA has vacated the house portion of the senior site, Amerman renewed his argument for utility assistance from the city.

“We don’t feel it’s fair for us to pay utilities on space we’re not using. Every dollar is very valuable in this program.”

Last time Amerman brought up the topic of utility reimbursements he was quickly shot down. This time council members were open to discussions about subsidizes for the services provided by the city — water, sewer, electricity and trash pickup.

Electricity is the “biggie,” Amerman said, but should drop dramatically if the freezer is taken out of commission.

Interim city manager Glen Black agreed VOA has an unreasonble burden, since the senior citizens (a non-profit entity) and other organizations use the building. During a subsequent discussion, it was clarified that the senior center actually has two owners. Delta Senior Citizens Inc. holds title to the Travis House; the newer portion is owned by the city and used by VOA.

Council members agreed to finalize the site use agreement which has been pending last summer and to create an addendum addressing the utilities after the details have been hammered out.

“Our goal is the same as the seniors and each of the city councils — to provide a nutritious appealing meal to our seniors at a cost they can afford. This operation is really a service for us. It’s not a moneymaker; in fact we’ll lose money this year but we are trying to make the program efficient so it is sustainable. Part of that process means change from the way it was done in the past. We just ask for patience from the seniors and the council.”

Suggestion forms at each of the meal sites should make it easier to deal with concerns as they crop up — a process that should allow VOA to come up with a solution before seniors “have to resort to an 80-person petition.”

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