By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

Along with other Americans, Central Texans have felt far-reaching impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and a large percentage of the senior citizen community remains isolated at home

That’s where Bell County Farm Bureau (CFB) stepped in to help, with the assistance of the Texas Farm Bureau Feeding Texas Co-op Contribution Program.

“When the pandemic started, everybody was sent home and things changed,” Richard Cortese, Bell CFB board member, said. “When we heard about the opportunities available through TFB’s grant program, we knew we wanted to help. There are lots of food pantries here that seemed to be going strong, so we wanted to do something a little different.”

After visiting with the Hill Country Communication Action Association (HCCAA), Bell CFB leaders knew they had found their answer.

“One of the programs we saw had an increased need is the senior meal program,” Cortese said. “We visited with our senior meal provider, and they picked up an additional 1,500 people who need hot meals delivered since the pandemic started.”

HCCAA makes use of various grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other governmental agencies to provide home-delivered meals for eligible senior citizens, but Cortese said funds available don’t pay for the cost of the entire meal.

Using matching funds from the state organization, Bell CFB donated a total of $1,000 to HCCAA to help close that gap.

HCCAA serves nine Hill Country and Central Texas counties, the majority of which Cortese noted are small, rural counties where residents have limited access to community aid programs.

“Another great thing about the agency is that it not only provides hot, home-delivered meals for the day, but also include shelf-stable meals for the weekend so no one has to go without on Saturday and Sunday,” Cortese said. “These are valuable services that help keep people at home during normal times and are even more essential right now when access is more limited for some.”

The meal deliveries provide more than just nutrition, he added.

“Home-delivered meals are more than just providing food,” Cortese said. “They also provide a visitor, which may be the only person some of the recipients see all week. So, it’s really important.”