The Council on Aging of Central Oregon, in partnership with the Latino Association, has come up with a project to help Latinos aged 60 years and older pay their bills and put food on their table. Funding for the program is coming from the federal Older Americans Act.

An amount of $15,000 was contributed by the Council to the COVID-19 emergency fund of LCA from which its staff can allot to elderly individuals who are in need of help so they can pay their utilities, not including rent, as well as their medical bills.

This collaboration by the LCA and the Council will be piloted by providing the "older Latinos in Madras," with staples and fresh produce in weekly food boxes. Madras is a place where there are only limited pantries and food banks.

How the Project Works

The plan is to offer a pickup and possible delivery every week, to home-bound seniors in Prineville and Madras. Also helping to make the project possible is the Jefferson County Health Department that provides not just space, but the personnel too, to assist with the initiative.

Meanwhile, LCA will help in publicizing the "Grab-N-Go" project, featuring hot meals cooked and prepared for Latino seniors and older, in Bend, Madras, Sisters, and LaPine in Spanish. These meals are offered while the centers for seniors remain closed.

Aside from the free hot meals, also part of this joint initiative is the help for the elderly Latinos to pay for their medicine and utilities. In relation to the support provided, the partnering organizations encourage the elders or their family members to visit the LCA office or call 541 382-4366.

According to Council on Aging Executive Director, Susan Rotella, "The Latinx population has been severely affected by COVID-19," and they find the LCA as an ideal partner to help them reach out to more community members who are vulnerable. 

What the Council and the LCA Do

The Council on Aging has been functioning as the selected "Area Agency on Aging for Aging for Deschutes, Jefferson counties and Crook" since 1975.

As such, it has offered adult individuals, 60 years old and above, and their loved ones an array of support services.

The Council, a nonprofit organization, guides, empowers and advocates for elderly individuals and their loved ones to live independently and with well-being in age-friendly environments where policies, practices, and infrastructure are developed to make the community worthy to live in.

It also aims to make the environment responsive and accessible to every need of individuals regardless of age, though, particularly of older adults.

Meanwhile, the LCA has been empowering both the Latino children and families since 2000. For two decades now, it has also built bridges across cultures in order to "create a more resilient Central Oregon.

In collaborating with caring businesses, public agencies, individuals, and community organizations, LCA stays dedicated to guaranteeing Latinos' full participation in their communities. 

The organization's programs include "Healthy Families, Workforce Education and Training, Youth Rising and Cultural Enrichment, and Family Empowerment." Notably, LCA's services, for quite some time now, have impacted more than 8,000 people each year.

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