Grants Senior Center Feeding Those Over 60

Earlier this month, US Budget Director, Mick Mulvaney, angered many older Americans when he talked about trimming the Community Development Block Grant program which partially funds the nation’s Meals On Wheels program, because “It sounds great” but that he could not defend programs that “don’t work.” Thousands of Americans over the age of sixty would argue that it does work, and that they rely on it. Only 3 percent of the operating cost for Meals on Wheels comes from the federal government block grants operated by states. According to the Meals On Wheels organization, about 70 percent of its funding comes from community donations. The rest comes from the USDA, Medicaid, and the Older American Act.

Suzette DeArmond, the City of Grants Senior Center Director, said, “I’ve heard we’re going to do away with the Grab-n-Go meals.” DeArmond, who has been the center director for five years, said, “Grab-n-Go meals became the norm when COVID showed up in 2020. We continued Meals On Wheels.” Recently, the state’s Aging and Long-Term Services Department informed senior centers that Grab-n-Go lunches might stop. At this time, no one from that department has responded to inquiries from the Cibola Citizen.

The Grants Senior Center prepares about 300 meals per day, and about 180 of those meals are for the Meals On Wheels delivery program. The rest are for eat-in and Grab-n-Go. The center runs four delivery routes that stretch from Cubero to Bluewater Village, beyond San Rafael, the City of Grants, and the Village of Milan.

The Senior Center is open to anyone over the age of sixty regardless of income. Individuals must register and then undergo an assessment to see if they are at risk for food insecurity, health, and/or mental health issues. Typically, lunch is provided daily, but if an individual is deemed high risk for food insecurity, a second meal can be provided.

DeArmond, who arrived in Cubero at age 13 from Los Angeles, California, graduated from Grants High School. “My whole life has been in human services, mostly working with at-risk youth,” she said. She moved to Albuquerque after graduating and worked for New Day Youth and Family Services at the Emergency Shelter. After a short-term stint evolved into 18 years in Anchorage, Alaska, she returned to Grants and started at the Senior Center as the Assessment Clerk. When the director at that time retired, she moved into that role.

“We re-opened July 12, 2021 with COVID protocols. Only 12 people showed up. Now we’re back to pre-COVID numbers,” DeArmond said. In January, 1,532 people were served by the center. “I wish we could continue the Grab-n-Go meals. Plenty of people over 60 are still working and being able to stop by and get lunch is helpful.”

“We do get ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act of 2021] money which should carry through until September of this year,” DeArmond said. “That was about $100,000 and funded an additional driver, more food, and cardboard To Go containers which are expensive.” DeArmond said that she felt lucky to be fully operational when she learned that some centers around the state had never re-opened after the COVID-mandated closures. “The city is very generous, so whatever I don’t get from the state or feds, the city will help and the County.”

According to the Meals On Wheels organization, One in five Americans is 60 or over, and every day 12,000 Americans turn 60. The Grants Senior Center is located at 550 Jurassic Court. Lunch is served from 11:30 am 12:30 pm Monday through Friday. The center is open 8 am - 4 pm.