By Emily Randall
Northeast News
Jan. 13, 2010

The frigid, below-zero temperatures and slippery roads aren’t fun for anyone, but for homebound elderly and others on low and fixed incomes, the terrible weather Kansas City has experienced since Christmas presents extra challenges.

For instance, the Meals on Wheels food delivery program administered through Don Bosco Senior Center, which 270 elderly people in Northeast depend on, was closed all this past week. Senior Center Director Anne Miller said the safety of the drivers had to be considered.

“The roads were basically impassable, particularly in Northeast where … if you can get on the street, you can’t hardly get up the hills,” Miller said. “Then we have drivers trying to chuck up [sidewalks] to deliver that meal, and that’s treacherous.”

Miller said the agency did manage on Wednesday to send out meals to 27 seniors whom they suspected would be desperate for a meal. On Friday, an apartment building manager called the Senior Center concerned about a shut-in, and a driver took a meal out to him.

“If anybody called and said, ‘I’m really desperate,’ we’d get out to them,” she said. “This whole week, it’s been very unfortunate. We feel that’s perhaps when seniors need it most for an agency to bring them food.”

Miller also said she expected to receive an influx of phone calls when people open up their heating bills from this frigid billing period. Don Bosco helps seniors and low-income people apply for the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program, though which an individual may be eligible for up to $300 in assistance on gas bills from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“We try to be proactive and get as many people signed up [starting in October],” Miller said.

Anyone interested in this program can call the senior center at 421-3160 for assistance applying.

Likewise, Tom Turner, executive director of the Bishop Sullivan Center, said he anticipated hearing from people in a few weeks when the gas bills arrive. Bishop Sullivan also connects people with different heating bill assistance sources.

Sullivan said although his agency helps seniors in the summer by installing air conditioners, they do not do a similar program with space heaters in the winter because of concerns about fires. However, Bishop Sullivan does deliver groceries once a month to homebound elderly year round.

“They’re probably more homebound than usual with the snow on the roads,” he said. “I’m sure those grocery deliveries are even more welcome in the winter.”

He said he has also noticed more and more people making use of his organization’s food pantry, which is open Mondays through Thursdays. This past Monday, when the pantry reopened after being closed a week for the holidays, 55 people — the maximum number of people the pantry can serve — showed up.

“It was just a sign to me how many people really needed food that they were willing to battle the roads to come out and get it,” Turner said.

At Salvation Army Bellefontaine Corps in Historic Northeast, Administrator Dale Simmons said people were pulling together to help keep the meals on the table when staff were unable to make it to work because of icy roads. On Thursday, only one staff member made it to work to prepare the food, so others who had come to eat helped by setting up tables and cleaning.

“I just think it just shows how our community is that they know even when they’re hurting they can jump in and help each other,” Simmons said.

The Bellefontaine Corps also has been open as a heating center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during these cold days. On a regular day, Simmons said, maybe 10-15 people will come by the agency at 3013 E. Ninth St., but since the heating center has been offered, there have been at least 30-40 people a day.

Meals on Wheels stopped during storm, heating bill assistance used