Lincoln County Council on Aging

Conclusion

Lincoln County Council on Aging meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Purpose

Stated Purpose:
"Enriching quality of life, and supporting independence & vitality for the community at large."

Year, State Incorporated:
1978, MO

Programs

Meals Matter! LCCOA provides meals to residents, regardless of age, ability to pay, or mobility, and spreads awareness about hunger in Lincoln County, Missouri. In 2022 LCCOA served 69,000+ meals, many of which went Un-Paid.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Since the pandemic, and especially in the last 6 months, inflation has truly impacted the meals program. Raw food costs, gasoline, and vehicle maintenance is the highest it's ever been in LCCOA's 45 years of service. Due to this, LCCOA underwent a third-party COAR (comprehensive organizational assessment report) which helped our organization make some very difficult decisions; cutting staff and meal recipients. LCCOA provides meals to residents, regardless of age, ability to pay, or mobility; on-site/congregate and home-delivered to the homebound.

In 2022 LCCOA served OVER 22,000 meals that went Un-Paid. We are focused strictly where we live, work & play, and the ONLY "meals on wheels" for Lincoln County, MO. After over 45 years of service to our County, the pandemic increased the number of meals LCCOA serves daily. The health-safety & mobility of meals is paramount to the overall well-being of our community. Met with encouraging wellness, focusing on preventing or managing diseases, actively educating clients, volunteers, & the community at large, and putting an END to food insecurity. Annual surveys conducted by AAA and United Way showed those who receive our meals demonstrate the following outcomes: improved mental & physical health, reduced likelihood of falls, reduced feelings of isolation & depression, increased feelings of safety, & a higher likelihood of eating healthy. As the meals program served more & more residents, the vote to change LCCOA from senior center to "Community Center" passed unanimously. In 2020, the pandemic increased the number of residents needing our services, so the Lincoln County Council on Aging changed its bylaws to "Community Center", serving ALL residents of Linc Co MO (regardless of age or ability).


PROGRAM OBJECTIVES: LCCOA's services are proven to be the first defense for under-served populations. SAFE Mobile-Meals Matter is an intricate part of our fight to end to food-insecurity in Lincoln County. Nutritious meals allow constituents to live happier, healthier lives and often allows seniors, disabled and/or Veterans to retain their independence & age in their own homes. These members of our community get to maintain their dignity, and still be contributing members to our community. Home delivered meals fight MORE than food-insecurity.... the daily visit from a friendly volunteer is just as valued.

There are plenty of testimonials ranging from volunteers changing light bulbs, to those who call 911 when a meal recipient doesn't answer the door - commonly because of a fall or other trauma. A recent scientific study by the Brown University School for Public Health, "More than a Meal Research Study", measured outcomes from home-delivered meal recipients, & examined health outcomes related to the daily delivery of nutritious food. According to the study, those who received daily meals showed improvements in categories related to both health & quality of life, and demonstrated the following outcomes (compared to those who did not receive meals, or received frozen deliveries on a weekly basis): * Improved mental health, specifically decreases in depression & anxiety * Improved physical health * Reduced likelihood of falls * Reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness * Less worry about being able to remain living at home * Increased feelings of safety * A higher likelihood of eating healthy 
PROGRAM TARGETS:
LCCOA’s nutrition program is based on best practices as outlined in the Older Americans Act and National Council on Aging, and other programs & services are based on healthy aging agendas recommended by the Center for Medicare Services, the National Council on Aging, Lincoln County Health Department, and the Lincoln County Health Foundation. Participants are assessed and surveyed annually. Results are collected and discussed by all organizations, then stored a database provided by the state of Missouri.
Annual survey to all clients; home-bound & on-site, to measure our programs effectiveness year-to-year. This is something our organization provides also to NEMO AAA and United Way. Expected outcomes are 90% of clients to maintain better, healthier eating habits, 90%+ clients to be less isolated, and 95% to improve their overall health. LCCOA's 2022 Outcomes Survey - 94% said our programs help them maintain better, healthier eating habits. 94% of our clients say they feel less isolated. 92% say our services helped improve their health conditions. Over 20% of our clients make less than $10,000 annually; of those clients ALL said LCCOA meals prevents their food insecurity. 71% of clients noted suffering from depression on the intake survey (BEFORE our services). Less than 4% answered suffering from depression AFTER our services were provided.

For the year ended June 30, 2023, Lincoln County Council on Aging's program expenses were:

Governance & Staff

Chief Executive
Kelly Hardcastle, Executive Director

Chair of the Board
Ashley Rottler, Community Relations

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
St. Luke's Hospital

Board Size
12

Paid Staff Size
6

Fundraising

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Radio, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.), Solicitations for Used Cars

Tax Status

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

Financial

The following information is based on Lincoln County Council on Aging's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023.

Source of Funds

Programs: 82% Fundraising: 2% Administrative: 16%