A key component of the Commonwealth s community-based outreach is our network of 348 Councils on Aging. Through local initiatives, Councils on Aging offer programs and services that strengthen the lives of elders in the community and enable more independent living. Grants made to Councils on Aging help to serve over 420,000 people each year. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor recommend 6.3 million dollars in grants to Councils on Aging for Fiscal Year 2001. For many elders and their families, Councils on Aging are homes away home.
Councils stretch and maximize the dollars they receive through extensive use of volunteers.
An estimated 33,600 volunteers contributed 2.7 million hours of volunteer service to councils in Fiscal Year 2001. This has been valued at over 38 million dollars worth of free volunteer service. Another important community-based program is the Statewide Elderly Nutrition Program. This program serves over 8 million nutritious meals to 60,000 elders each year, both at congregate sites and through meals on wheels deliveries to homebound elders. The Governor and Lt.