Mom’s Meals available in county

By Sandy Morris

Shackelford County residents who have not previously been eligible for local home delivery meal service now have an option available to them.

Mom’s Meals is a monthly food delivery service offered through the Area Agency on Aging courtesy of the CARES grant. 

AAA quality assurance specialist Samantha Secrist said the program, which has been funded through the end of September, is not based on income .

“Applicants must be age 60 and up, live in one of our 19 service counties, and complete a short assessment to determine if they are eligible for the program,” said Secrist. “The assessment is done over the phone and takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes.”

Secrist said once a case manager has completed the assessment, they usually know if a client will be eligible and can let the applicant know their application will be forwarded to a supervisor for review.

Assessments are then submitted to Secrist who double-checks the information and approves the application.

Once approved, the client will be contacted by the case manager to discuss menu options for the month.

“Clients are approved for 20 meals per month and have four menu options including 30-40 entrees,” Secrist said. “They can chose from American classics, soup and sandwich, international, and breakfast.”

Meals can be chosen from all four categories and will then be delivered once a month to the client. 

Secrist said the meals are good for 14 days in the refrigerator, but after that, the food will need to be frozen.

She added that the meals are delivered to the client’s door and while the AAA is not able to assist with carrying the box of food into the house, they will reach out to local resources to assist clients, if needed.

In additional to the general menu options, food choices also are available in low sodium, heart-friendly, diabetic, and pureed meals.

Clients can request for their assessment to include evaluation for a quarterly hygiene box which includes items such as shampoo, conditioner, face masks, hand sanitizer, toothbrush, etc.

“The same assessment questions that are used for Mom’s Meals can be to see if a client qualifies for the hygiene box,” Secrist said. 

Persons interested in applying can call the AAA at 325-793-8417 and request to speak with a case manager about Mom’s Meals.