Cleveland Clinic Invests $250,000 in Martin County Senior Hunger Relief through Council on Aging
STUART, Fla. – The Council on Aging Martin County (COA) is pleased to announce a landmark five-year $250,000 philanthropic collaboration with Cleveland Clinic. The $50,000 annual grant will support two critical programs serving Martin County’s most vulnerable seniors: Meals on Wheels Martin County and the Indiantown Congregate Meal Site.
“This support from Cleveland Clinic is truly transformational,” said Council on Aging CEO Karen Ripper. “With this investment, we can deepen our reach into the communities that need us the most, ensuring that no senior in Martin County goes hungry or feels forgotten. Cleveland Clinic’s commitment reflects a shared belief that access to care and food security are fundamental to healthy aging.”
The Meals on Wheels program is COA’s flagship program serving hot, nutritious meals five days a week to homebound seniors throughout Martin County. Beyond nutrition, each delivery serves as a wellness check and connection to community resources. The program currently serves 422 seniors each week.
The Indiantown Congregate meal site is one of four meal sites that COA serves in Martin County. This site is critically important as the poverty rate in Indiantown is approximately 10% higher than the rest of Martin County, making access to affordable nutritious food and social connection both scarce and critical. The congregate program serves approximately 45 seniors each week who might otherwise face isolation and food insecurity.
This contribution builds on Cleveland Clinic's broader efforts to address food insecurity through philanthropy and care-based programs, including teaching kitchens, pediatric summer and weekend meal initiatives, food vouchers, grocery delivery, free produce from local farms and Nourish food pantries for eligible patients.
About Council on Aging Martin County
For seniors, their families, and caregivers, the Council on Aging Martin County is their trusted and comprehensive hub for senior resources. We work with the community to reduce anxiety, depression, loneliness, and hunger. Together, we help seniors live a safer, healthier, and happier life.
From our Adult Day Club, Day Primary Care Center, case management, and memory enhancement programming, to our nutrition and exercise classes, games to improve memory, concerts and social events, the Council on Aging’s Kane Center on Salerno Road is a beehive of activities. Services also take to the road – like Meals on Wheels, providing a hot meal and a warm smile to more than 500 homebound and needy Martin County senior residents in their home each day, or Senior Dining Centers at locations throughout the county in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Indiantown and Hobe Sound. The Elder Care Mobile Outreach Bus brings knowledgeable and compassionate staff directly to seniors in local neighborhoods.
For 51 years, the Council on Aging Martin County has been working tirelessly to inspire a community that embraces, uplifts and encourages seniors to maintain lives of quality and purpose. Stay healthy. Be active. Eat well. Get help when you need it from the Council on Aging Martin County. Please visit us in person, online at coamartin.org, or on social media, and learn more about the many services of the Council on Aging Martin County. Our staff and volunteers are ready and eager to help.