‘No Seniors Will Be Left Without Meals’: Delaware County Reassures Residents After Program Upheaval

DELHI – Just days after Delaware County’s senior dining program teetered on the edge of collapse, Office for the Aging Director Lyndsay Komosinski told members of the Delaware County Senior Council on Monday, May 11, that meal services are stabilizing under county control, according to The Reporter.

“I wanted Lyndsay to have time to tell us what’s been happening with the meals and what’s going to happen and how we can be helpful,” Senior Council President Margaret “Peg” Hilson said as she introduced Komosinski.

Komosinski said the county formally assumed operation of the senior meals program after Delaware Opportunities abruptly ceased services May 8, ending a 52-year partnership with the county.

“Basically, the contract ended April 1,” Komosinski said. “Rather than renewing it, we’re just keeping it in house. So meals are up and ready. All sites are active as of today – as of actually Friday – everything is the same.”

The comments marked a verbal public update following Friday’s emergency transition, and two press releases from Delaware County, when officials scrambled to preserve meal deliveries after Delaware Opportunities announced it was shutting down senior dining operations effective immediately.

As previously reported, Delaware Opportunities Executive Director Dr. Shelly Bartow said the nonprofit’s decision stemmed from mounting operational pressures and unresolved issues surrounding the county’s planned takeover of the program.

Within hours of the shutdown announcement, county officials mobilized volunteers, sheriff’s office staff and Office for the Aging personnel to maintain home-delivered meals and reopen congregate dining sites.

Komosinski said Monday that officials hope to restore normal operations quickly, including returning some programs to their usual meeting locations.

“We’re hopeful, by the end of the week, we’ll be back,” she said during discussion about the Margaretville meal site – which had been temporarily relocated, along with the Sidney meal site – the Friday before.

Questions from council members Monday centered largely on continuity – whether meal times, meeting spaces and participant arrangements would remain unchanged.

Komosinski confirmed congregate meals would continue at 11:30 a.m. and clarified that some groups using church facilities would not be affected by the dining program transition itself.

The discussion also touched on confusion among some seniors regarding the program’s suggested meal contribution.

One council member noted a resident was unaware meals carried a suggested $5 contribution. Komosinski responded that the policy began in May 2025 and emphasized the payment remains voluntary.

“It’s a suggestive contribution,” she said.

The meeting also offered a glimpse into the scale of the county’s senior nutrition program before the transition.

Former Senior Meals Program Manager Pattie Warfield reported that 6,568 meals were served countywide in April. Sidney recorded the largest total with 1,465 meals served, followed by Walton with 1,428. Delhi served 1,111 meals, Grand Gorge 998, Margaretville 866 and Hancock 656.

Warfield said the program served 259 congregate participants and 207 homebound seniors during April, including 11 long-term care clients.

The figures underscored the stakes behind last week’s disruption.

Friday’s shutdown exposed growing tension between county officials and Delaware Opportunities over finances, contracts and the speed of the transition. Delhi Supervisor Maya Boukai publicly questioned whether supervisors had fully reviewed cost analyses or transition planning before the county announced it would bring the program in-house.

Hamden Supervisor Wayne Marshfield, who serves on the Delaware Opportunities board, called the breakdown “most unfortunate for the seniors.”

County officials, however, maintained throughout the crisis that meal service continuity remained their top priority.

By May 11, the tone at the Senior Council meeting had shifted from emergency response toward reassurance – though questions about staffing, long-term costs and the future structure of the county-run program remain undisclosed.

Story by Lillian Browne | The Reporter

Image: A handwritten sign announced the closure of the Walton Senior Meals site, located at St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, 25 Benton Ave., mid-morning on Friday, May 8. The sign was later removed as food was made available for congregate dining. (Lillian Browne/The Reporter)