Surplus of Food Boxes Up for Grabs After Calls to Senior Help Line Slow Down

Phone calls being made by seniors in need of help during the coronavirus pandemic have slowed down. 

That is, according to the Area Agency on Aging. The agency had added staff to handle an influx of calls after more than 16,500 people had reached out over a four-week period, starting on March 18.

The agency says a large percentage of the phone calls placed to the 24-Hour Senior Help Line were for food, prompting staff and volunteers to deliver almost 1,400 food boxes for more than 2,200 people. 

But now that phone calls to the help line have slowed down, the Area Agency has a limited surplus of items for people who may need food boxes and some household items. 

“We’re taking advantage of this slowdown to reach out to additional seniors who may need help or who may be at a place where their supplies of household items are dwindling,” President and CEO Mary Lynn Kasunic said. 

The Area Agency plans and develops programs to deliver services to older adults with long-term care. The organization works to provide support to seniors throughout Maricopa County.

Kasunic was careful to add, “We’re certainly not saying we’re past the worst of this because we don’t really know what will happen in the next couple of weeks, but the slowdown in calls does create opportunities for those who may not yet have reached out to us.”      

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