Voluntary Action Center delivers Thanksgiving meals to over 160 DeKalb County residents for turkey day

SYCAMORE – More than 160 Thanksgiving Day meals will be delivered this year by those volunteering or working for the Voluntary Action Center’s Meals on Wheels program.

The program has three main objectives: to address malnutrition, social isolation and independence, especially among older adults and people with disabilities.

Ellen Rogers, director of development at Voluntary Action Center, said the need for Meals on Wheels is evident among DeKalb County residents.

“People, particularly now given the economy now, are very challenged financially with the increase in food cost,” Rogers said. “They’re more and more reliant on our program. Most people in our program receive the hot meal five days a week.”

Rogers said a record 60 drivers have committed to delivering meals on Thanksgiving Day to area residents.

Volunteer Colette Theurer is among the dozens expected to drive a route Thursday to deliver meals.

Wilbur Kocher, 102, of Sycamore said the food provided by the program is tasty. Theurer said Kocher has been on her route for a long time.

“We look forward to that Meals on Wheels,” Kocher said. “Everybody starts running.”

Kocher’s caregiver, Amy Barton, said she is responsible for providing 24-hour care to Kocher, so having the support of Meals on Wheels is huge.

“It’s helpful knowing there’s a warm meal coming,” Barton said. “There’s one less thing I have to worry about.”

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Colette Theurer, a driver with the Voluntary Action Center, chats with 102-year-old Wilbur Kocher after delivering his meal, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, at his home in Sycamore. VAC delivers meals to the homebound and elderly along with providing transportation options. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

Rogers said the Meals on Wheels program is feeling the woes from the economy, much like the county’s residents.

“We’re certainly also experiencing it,” Rogers said. “Our food costs have increased by 30%. Another factor that we’re going to be challenged on is we were very fortunate in the local, state and federal funding for [COVID-19]. That really enabled us to serve more people than we ever have, but those dollars have been expended.”

Rogers said Meals on Wheels did receive an increase in state funding statewide, however, which will help. The burden for providing meals to area residents – especially as that need increases – remains.

“We’re going to have work hard because our ultimate goal is to maintain that zero weight,” Rogers said. “Generally, it’s not something you plan for. You need meals. You need it now. We certainly want to continue to be there.”

But this doesn’t deter the Voluntary Action from serving clients that are in need.

The Voluntary Action Center serves about 300 clients with meals daily, based on eligibility factors such as age, disability and socioeconomic status.

On average, a typical route serves 12 to 15 clients.

Rogers said the Voluntary Action Center is fortunate for the support of its volunteers.

“It could be individuals that deliver every week or at least once a month,” she said. “We have virtually every service organization, almost all the churches involved.”

The program has more than 1,200 volunteers that help out over the course of the year.

Rogers said it is a community effort to run the program and so is the funding of it.

“We do have three paid drivers,” Rogers said. “When you look at DeKalb County, it’s a long county. It would be difficult in terms of for the smaller communities to try to establish that knowledge.”

The Meals on Wheels program is funded in part by the Older Americans Act – a 1965 federal law that provides access to care, housing and nutrition services for older adults – and the state.

Rogers said this year’s Thanksgiving meals will be sponsored by the family of longtime volunteer Don “Tank” Anderson.

“He and his wife Dee always delivered holiday meals,” Rogers said. “Great supporters. In fact, their whole family, their whole extended family are strong supporters. Tank unfortunately passed away. But Dee continues that, she and her family, in his name.”

For information or to register to become a client or volunteer, visit vacdk.org or call 815-758-3932, ext. 232.