Silver Sage Community Center: 56,975 meals, 17 routes, and a volunteer corps averaging in their 60s
The numbers from their most recent impact report: 56,975 Meals on Wheels delivered, 20,965 congregate lunches served, and 670,000 pounds of food distributed through drive-thru events in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank.
The drivers who deliver Meals on Wheels for Silver Sage Community Center do more than drop off food. They are often the only person a homebound senior will speak to that day.
“Often our clients are so isolated their Meals on Wheels driver is the only person they ever talk to,” said Levin Crawford, Silver Sage’s nutrition coordinator, who appeared Monday on Lead Live.
Silver Sage — officially registered as Bandera County Committee on Aging Incorporated and founded in 1984 — operates as the primary resource hub for rural seniors across Bandera County. Crawford’s father, Art Crawford, has served as CEO for 15 years. Delivery routes cross county lines to serve Utopia in Uvalde County.
The numbers from their most recent impact report: 56,975 Meals on Wheels delivered, 20,965 congregate lunches served, and 670,000 pounds of food distributed through drive-thru events in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank. Seventeen separate routes cover 250 to 300 homebound seniors weekly.
Beyond meals, the main center offers congregate lunches Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a $3 donation — free for those unable to pay — along with “Yoga with Willie” mobility classes, digital literacy programming, and a Benefits Enrollment Center helping seniors navigate SNAP applications. A Medical Loan Closet provides free medical equipment. Two thrift stores generate additional operating revenue.
A secondary resource center at 805 Main Street houses veteran services, an emergency food pantry, family counseling, and a parent support program for families with children up to age three.
Two significant threats face the organization. Federal budget cuts to Meals on Wheels funding and SNAP are squeezing operations. And the volunteer base — whose average age is well into the 60s — is showing signs of fatigue.
Crawford urged the community to contact state and federal lawmakers about the cuts, and to consider joining the volunteer driver pool.
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