Council on Aging seeks donations during drive

The Richland Voluntary Council on Aging is seeking donations to help serve local senior citizens.

The RVCOA served approximately 37,000 meals to the seniors of Richland Parish during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. 

“Many seniors come to our center located in Rayville and our meal site located in Delhi for sit-down meals and social activities,” Executive Director Mickey Shoemaker Nicholson said. “Our drivers drive over 125 miles per day to deliver meals to our homebound seniors throughout Richland Parish. We are receiving many calls daily from seniors or their family member requesting home delivered meal services.”

Due to efforts to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicholson said the Rayville and Delhi sites have been closed to the public since March. However, as essential workers, the COA staff is still providing meal services to regular patrons and are attempting to meet the needs of new patrons as well. 

“Those seniors who came to the centers are now receiving frozen meals,” Nicholson said. “However, this has been and continues to be a trying time for them as they are missing out on the daily fellowship with each other as well as the activities such as Bingo, exercising and karaoke. A special highlight of the week was Bible study led by a local minister or lay person.”

Nicholson said the Council on Aging is grateful for any donation that it receives and would like to draw the public’s attention to its “Sponsor a Senior” program. Under this program, $20 will feed a senior for a month and $250 will provide a senior 250 meals during the year. You can make donations for basic needs to the COA or designate your donation on behalf of a specific senior. 

“Several of our local churches and individuals have placed the COA in their budget and donate monthly,” Nicholson said. “You may want to consider making a donation in-memory-of or in-honor-of a loved one. All donations are tax deductible.”

The COA requests a $1 per meal donation from each senior to help defray the cost of the meals. The Council delivers to the homebound seniors four hot meals per week Monday through Thursday. They receive a frozen meal on Thursday for Friday. The non-homebound seniors are being provided with frozen meals which they pick up on Friday for the following week. 

The COA also provides a weekly homemaker service which has been suspended due to COVID-19. The homemaker service was provided each Friday for one hour to homebound members for $2 per session. This service includes sweeping, mopping of floors in lived in areas such as the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, and taking out the trash. The homemaker provider will also dust the furniture, change the bed linen, wash the breakfast dishes and clean the bathroom. 

In addition to meals and homemaker services, the Council assists with applications for Entergy assistance for qualified members and others in need of assistance. Medicaid applications, SNAP applications (formerly known as food stamps), questions regarding Medicare and nursing home placement. 

“We accept donations of medical equipment that is in good condition such as wheelchairs, bedside commodes, and shower chairs,” Nicholson said. “We in turn loan these items to members of the community as a need arises. We also have a library of both hardback and softback books spanning multiple genres. We also offer daily transportation to the Rayville site.”

 The support of the community continues to be vital to the Richland Voluntary Council on Aging as it endeavors to serve the seniors of Richland Parish. The seniors of the parish depend on the community to help fund the needed services to the elderly. The seniors, in turn, depend on the COA to continue providing meals and services. 

 “The way we continue to provide these needed services is through the generous donations provided by our community,” Nicholson said. “Since the senior population seems be more likely to contract the COVID-19 virus, many of them are sheltering in place at home. They are practicing social distancing for fear of contracting the virus which does not show any immediate signs of dissipating. The meals and services provided by the COA are even more important. We are blessed to have the Richland Parish Police Jury who provide invaluable assistance by helping defray some of our operational expenses. Sheriff Gary Gilley and Richland Parish Sheriff’s deputies Melissa Harwell and Tammy Spillers are always checking on our seniors or lending a helping hand when called upon for assistance. We are blessed to have TRIAD which helps to meet the needs of our seniors. Also, thanks are extended to the Kiwanis Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion who are big supporters of our seniors and of Richland Parish. We give a big thanks to each of you for realizing how important our seniors are by showing respect and appreciation to them. Without our seniors, we would not be here to return to them what they deserve. They have given to us their knowledge and hard work to help make Richland Parish what it is today. Most live on a very limited income and this one meal per day helps them to be able to pay for their medication, rent, and utilities. Some seniors can barely afford to pay for the basic necessities of daily life.”

Richland Today

603 Louisa Street
Rayville, LA 71269
Phone: (318) 728-6467
Fax: (318) 728-5991