By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon County Council for the Aging has requested matching funds from the City of Dillon.
Executive Director Joni Spivey came before the Dillon City Council to explain the request.
Spivey said they had requested $9,135 in funding from The Johnson Foundation. The Johnson Foundation has agreed to provide half of the funding in the amount of $4,567.50. The Council for the Aging is asking the city for the $4,567.50 match.
The funds would be used to help with the operation of the nutrition program.
The nutrition program serves:
– A daily average of 40 congregate meals and 69 home-delivered meals.
-20 senior citizens in the rural areas of the county receive five blast frozen meals which are delivered once a week.
Services are provided to:
-382 senior citizens in Dillon County
-167 of these people live in the City of Dillon
The services provided by the Council for the Aging include:
-Congregate Meals
-Home-Delivered Meals
– Blast Frozen Meals
-Transportation
-Assessments
– Low-Impact Aerobic Classes funded through the Older Americans Act
They also provide social support services and outreach. These are non-funded services required by their policies and procedures. They receive funding from the Emergency Food & Shelter Program to purchase nutritional supplements. This is for senior citizens whose doctors have said they medically need the supplement. They also assisted the SC Department of Social Services in distributing $25 Farmers Market vouchers to 760 senior citizens in the county. They have done this since 2001.  “If we can help make a difference in a senior citizen’s life that is what our agency is here for,” said Spivey.
She thanked the city for their support and for providing a building for the senior center.
Spivey said Lt. Governor Yancey McGill had visited their senior center and was impressed with what the city had done to help.
She said they had lost the contract for the home care/housekeeping services. A group won four out of the six counties in the Pee Dee. She said they had planned to continue the housekeeping; however, the first week in July, they were informed their four “Experience Works” employees could not drive due to liability. She said they had to stop and turn all of their clients over to the other agency.
Mayor Todd Davis said they will discuss the matter and notify the agency of their decision.