Southeast senior centers struggle to serve more with less

The 10 senior centers operated by Catholic Community Service in Southeast Alaska are serving about 50% more meals than they provided before the pandemic hit in 2020. However, tightened budgets and reduced staffing are making it difficult.

Meals counts spiked during the pandemic as seniors stayed home and depended on delivered lunches but, unexpectedly, demand for meals on wheels has not declined much since COVID restrictions were lifted in communities, said Erin Walker-Tolles, executive director of the Juneau-based nonprofit.

The numbers of meals served went from about 82,000 a year at the 10...