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September 17, 2020

MAPPING YOUR PARTNERSHIP ASSETS:

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
Welcome and Introduction
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SUMMER 2020 VIRTUAL LEARNING SERIES

The Power of Partnerships to Drive Senior Nutrition COVID-19 

Response and Recovery

Part 1: Potent Partnerships in the Age of COVID-19

• August 31, 2020

Part 2: Mapping Your Partnerships Assets

• September 10, 15, 16 and 17, 2020

• Restaurants ✓

• Emergency Services ✓

• Technology ✓

• Food Systems

Visit: https://nutritionandaging.org/virtual-summer-series-2020/
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VISION FOR THIS WEBINAR

• Gain Insight:

• Into an example of a partnership – learn from their partnership 

story to glean ideas, and get inspired about possible 

partnerships of your own

• Consider Your Assets: 

• Spend some time thinking about your local partnership assets 

that can be engaged to seed a new collaboration or expand an 

existing initiative 

• Share Your Map, Learn From Peers, Stay Connected:

• Log on to NRCNAengage after the webinar to share, learn and 

carry on the conversation!
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CONNECT WITH YOUR PEERS VIA NRCNAengage

NRCNAengage is an online venue for senior nutrition program staff across the 

country to connect, share and network with your peers!

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Signing up is easy! 

Visit www.nrcna.mn.co

and click ‘Invite’!
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September 17, 2020

GILBERTO LOPEZ, RD MPA, 

DIRECTOR OF NUTRITION SERVICES FOR THE DETROIT AREA 

AGENCY ON AGING

MAPPING YOUR PARTNERSHIP ASSETS:

FOOD SYSTEM PARTNERSHIPS
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MDHHS AGING AND ADULT SERVICES AGENCY (AASA)

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AASA is Michigan’s State Unit on Aging

• March 2020: Stay Home Stay Safe order is 

issued.

• AASA determines there is a need to reach older 

Michiganians that are not currently using any of 

the AAA services.

• A question was added to the COVID-19 

website/hotline asking: “If you are 60 or older,

do you need a food box?”
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MDHHS AGING AND ADULT SERVICES AGENCY (AASA)

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Shelf Stable Meal Boxes

• Purchase of shelf-stable food boxes with 

emergency funds corporate donations and a 

‘donate a meal’ campaign.

• Number of boxes were allocated based on a 

modified funding formula.

• FBCM and Gleaners handled logistics and 

deliveries of boxes across the state.

• Total of 25,000 boxes were delivered.
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MDHHS AGING AND ADULT SERVICES AGENCY (AASA)

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Produce Boxes

• AASA also worked with vendors who qualified 

for the USDA Farmers to Families program and

assisted AAAs with getting boxes of fresh 

produce, dairy and protein items. 
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MDHHS AGING AND ADULT SERVICES AGENCY (AASA)

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Future Plans

• Next round of USDA fresh boxes

• Q-Boxes and food distribution drive-thru sites: 

AAAs and food bank partnerships
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THE DETROIT AREA AGENCY ON AGING

• Established in 1980

• Nonprofit Agency 

• One of 16 Area Agencies on Aging in the state of 

Michigan

• One of 622 in the nation.

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SERVICES OFFERED BY DAAA

• Information and Assistance (I & A) 

• Nutrition Services: hot, frozen, and liquid nutrition for 

homebound seniors and adults with disabilities

• Health and Wellness workshops

• Clinical Services/Home Care Support

• Long-Term Care Ombudsman

• Medicaid-Medicare Assistance Program (MMAP)

• Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCEP) 

• Community Wellness Service Centers (CWSCs) 

• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren 

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DAAA’S COVID-19 JOURNEY

• March 16, 2020 Governor Gretchen Whitmer signs 

executive order closing the state of Michigan

• DAAA mobilizes and equips staff to work from 

home.

• DAAA programs strategies ways to continue to 

meet the existing client’s needs. 

• HDM meals 

• Congregate meals

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KEY CHALLENGES

• Limit exposure of seniors to COVID-19.

• Changing the meal options and delivery methods.

• Adjusting to the influx of emergency meal requests.

• Creating new partnerships to meet new demands.

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SOLUTIONS

• Frozen five pack meals.

• New partnerships for “curbside” pick-up centers. 

• New partnerships for “emergency” HDM referrals.

• New partnerships forged for distribution of 

“emergency” shelf stable products, produce/dairy 

boxes and meals donated by local businesses.

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SOLUTIONS

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Frozen Five Pack 

Meal Delivery
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SOLUTIONS

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New partnerships 

for “curbside” pickup centers. 
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SOLUTIONS

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Produce Box 

Distribution
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SOLUTIONS

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Gleaners 

Community Food 

Bank “Q-Box” 

distribution
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SOLUTIONS

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Gateway 

Gourmet/Project 

Isaiah Meals
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SOLUTIONS

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Project Isaiah Card 

Writing Campaign
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APPROACH

What partnership(s) were identified to address the key challenge?

• DAAA partnered with both private and public entities. 

• New entities were vetted prior to partnering. 

How were partners engaged? 

• Some partnerships were the result of funders. Some were existing 

partners. Finally some partnerships were a result of “cold calling” and 

personal connections. 

What would another project seeking to replicate this project need to 

know? 

• Reach out to existing partners and ask for referrals.

• Be open to entities reaching out to you to partner.

• Look to your staff that may have personal relationships with potential 

partners. 

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LESSONS LEARNED

• Keeping phones and electronic equipment updated 

is crucial.

• Maintaining relationships with current and 

potential providers.

• Know what your strengths and weaknesses are, 

perform a SWOT analysis.

• Are your software/technical skills up to date?

• Know your staffs skills, can they be used in a 

different capacity?

• Is your disaster plan up to date? Do your providers 

have one? 

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ROAD AHEAD

• DAAA has been awarded funding from the Michigan 

Health Endowment Fund to establish a Coordinated 

Food Delivery Initiative to build on partnerships 

developed during our emergency response.

• DAAA will nurture recent partnerships and continue 

to look to forge new ones. 

• Key new partners include: Detroit Food Policy 

Council, Forgotten Harvest, Gleaners Food Bank

and other collaborative partners.

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ROAD AHEAD

• DAAA has been actively reflecting on our actions 

and reactions to COVID-19 and asking: What did we 

do well? What could we have done better?

• DAAA is reviewing and updating it’s Disaster 

Preparedness Plan.

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THANK YOU

Gilberto Lopez

Detroit Area Agency on Aging

Email address: lopezg@daaa1a.org

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Questions?
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Live Asset Mapping
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NEXT STEPS

• Share Your Map, Learn From Peers, Stay Connected:

• Log on to NRCNAengage after the webinar to share, 

learn and carry on the conversation!

Signing up is easy! 

Visit www.nrcna.mn.co

and click ‘Invite’!
@NRCNA_engAging

FINDING THE INVENTIVE PARTNERSHIPS THREAD

Visit 

www.nrcna.mn.co

to join the 

conversation.
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SHARE YOUR MAP, CONNECT WITH PEERS

Visit 

www.nrcna.mn.co

to join the 

conversation.
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Thank you. See you on NRCNAengage