Nominated by Honie Allen, aging services assistant at the Wayne County Department of Aging & Youth in Lyons, New York: :
“Because of her tremendous efforts, Lisa has earned the respect and gratitude of those for whom and with whom she serves,” said Ms. Allen. Indeed, Lisa has exemplified outstanding leadership in raising awareness about hunger and health within the senior community.
As the Nutrition Services Coordinator for the Wayne County Department of Aging and Youth, she oversees five congregate meal sites across Wayne County and the home-delivered meals program that provides healthy meals to seniors Mondays through Fridays. The congregate meal sites also offer a take-out service to ensure seniors are receiving a nutrition-packed meal every day.
In addition to serving meals, each congregate site serves as a place where seniors can socialize and become more educated about nutrition. This ultimately helps them to maintain their independence and live safely at home.
“Lisa strives to make sure our nutrition program runs flawlessly,” said Ms. Allen. “She handles everything — the paperwork, the meetings, and coordinating services. And for people who are homebound, Lisa makes sure they’re able to receive Moms Meals®.”
Lisa’s commitment to the community was evident even before she joined the Wayne County Department of Aging and Youth. Previously, Lisa worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), which helps New York state families and communities thrive in a rapidly changing world.
During her time at CCE, Lisa supervised the Eat Smart New York program and taught nutrition education classes, educating individuals on the importance of healthy eating. She also taught a chronic disease self-management program, which empowered people by teaching them skills to improve self-care and doctor-patient interaction, thereby improving their quality of life.
To help low-income seniors, Lisa participates in local farmers markets by distributing coupons so seniors can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and help to support local farmers — a win-win for everyone.
Last but not least, Lisa collaborates with Arc of Wayne and the Wayne County Humane Society, which launched a program to support the home-delivered meals program at the Wayne County Department of Aging and Youth. Clients who receive home-delivered meals can obtain food for their pet through a donation-based program. This is just one more way that Lisa Zonneville —and Wayne County — are helping the senior community.
Thank you for all you do, Lisa, and congratulations as one of this year’s winner of the Mom’s Meals and USAging Community Champion award.
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