For more than 50 years, Delaware Opportunities (DO) has been a trusted partner serving Delaware County’s low-income population, building deep institutional knowledge and community relationships. Their history reflects a sustained understanding of the rural county’s geographic, economic, and social challenges, and a level of trust that cannot be quickly replicated. As such, I believe the recent decision by Delaware County to rescind DO’s contract for senior meal services was a mistake. Senior meal services are about more than delivering food; they provide consistency, dignity, and human connection. DO has demonstrated an ability to deliver these services efficiently and compassionately while stretching limited resources as far as possible.
Shifting this responsibility to county government risks replacing a proven, nimble provider with a system more prone to bureaucracy, delay, and higher costs. Nonprofit organizations like DO are structured to operate leanly and respond quickly to changing community needs. They can organize volunteers, seek supplemental funding, and adjust programming in ways that government entities typically cannot. When a government-run program replaces a capable nonprofit, administrative expenses tend to rise, and taxpayers pay the price through higher taxes or cuts to other services. That higher cost reflects municipal salary scales, more expensive healthcare and retirement benefits, additional paid leave, strict overtime rules that often require premium pay, and reduced volunteer use due to liability concerns or union and contract provisions. Even if we do not yet know Delaware County’s ultimate cost per meal, it is almost certain to exceed DO’s. Early signs from the transition are troubling. The county has not yet shown it can fully manage this program on its own and continues to depend on DO and community volunteers to keep meals flowing. Previously, DO handled this work independently, which underscores how central its role has been. If the county cannot launch the program without leaning on DO, it is hard to see how it will sustain and improve it over time. To its credit, DO is acting in good faith to support a smooth handoff, putting seniors’ needs first. That cooperation, however, should not be misread as endorsement of the county’s decision. Instead, it highlights how indispensable DO has been - and remains - in making senior meals, and other vital services, work in Delaware County. This experience should be a warning. If transferring a single, long-established program is already straining county capacity, any broader effort or proposal to replace DO in other service areas should be viewed with skepticism and perhaps even alarm. At a time of limited public resources and growing needs, Delaware County should be strengthening, not severing, partnerships with proven organizations like DO. Without DO’s expertise and infrastructure, the county will likely be forced to either cut services for vulnerable residents or ask taxpayers to pay more just to maintain current levels and quality of service. Neither outcome is acceptable when a capable, experienced, and committed partner is already in place. I hope Delaware County makes the right choice in leaving the nearly 20 other contracts DO administers for the county in place. Delaware County’s vulnerable residents deserve the most effective service providers available, and its taxpayers deserve the utmost in efficiency to ensure high quality service and value for their tax dollars.
Barbara Ackerley
MIDDLETOWN
