Friendship Meals provide nutritious meals to approximately 57,000 Kansans in our region. Meals are available in dining center setting or through home delivery from 40 dining centers in our 18-county region and are locally prepared at each of 22 kitchens. Research shows that customers of programs like Friendship Meals experience fewer hospitalizations and shorter stays. The Friendship Meals program is supported through federal funds from Title III-C of the Older Americans Act and contributions from participants.
Meals are available to people age 60 and older, their spouses, and disabled dependents upon completion the required Kansas Uniform Assessment. Participants are asked to make a voluntary, confidential contributions based on what they can “comfortably afford.” The current suggested voluntary contribution for a Friendship Meal is $4.00. Home-delivered meals are available to customers certified as homebound. Other younger individuals, including family members and those living with disabilities, are welcome to receive a meal for a cost of $7.00.
We can help you find the nearest location serving Friendship Meals.
Friendship Meals
Information and Outreach
Answers for Older Kansans (AOK) Volunteer Program
A-OK Volunteers are located throughout our 18-county region. AOK Volunteers provide information and assistance services to their local communities and help identify opportunities for caregivers, older Kansans and those living with disabilities to seek out additional services. AOK volunteers receive referrals from friends, neighbors, senior centers, churches, healthcare providers, the central office and a network of rural organizations and groups. Contact us if you would like assistance with questions or if you would be interested in serving as an AOK volunteer.
AOK Informational Seminars
The AOK program also offers a series of informational seminars on topics of interest throughout our region. Click here to explore and sign up for an upcoming seminar.
Current seminars topics include
Medicare Basics with Karen Mayse
Legal Topics with Kansas Legal Services and / or Paul Shipp with Disability Rights Center of Kansas
Caregiver Connections - Monthly Informational Call
A monthly call occurs on the second Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. This call allows caregivers to share their common, yet diverse experiences in a safe space. Hoping to provide a way to shelve a caregivers worries for a short period of time while experiencing the support of others facing similar challenges.
The call is free to all participants and enables caregivers to gain information, participate in an educational program, and confer with other caregivers while remaining in their homes and without needing to arrange care for the care receiver.
Please visit our Seminars page to register or Call 1-800-432-2703
Older Kansans Day
Older Kansans Day is organized by NC-FH AAA each year to encourage seniors and supporter to connect with state legislators as they discuss and vote on program and budgets that fund Friendship Meals and in-home services.
Employment Assistance
The Older Kansans Employment Program (OKEP) serves Kansans age 55 and over and employers in the four trade areas of Manhattan, Junction City, Salina and Emporia. The mission of OKEP is to provide quality services that enable Kansans over 55 to be employed.
Services provided include job search assistance, job readiness and job retention counseling, job development and placement assistance, referral to appropriate classroom training, mentoring and life skills counseling, outreach to enhance employer and public awareness, and advocacy for older job seekers and older workers. All services are available on a contribution basis.
Housing Assistance
Section 8 Choice Voucher Program
The Section 8 Choice Voucher Program provides housing subsidies to qualified low-income persons who lease private, unsubsidized dwelling units. Subsidy is provided in the form of Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) which are paid directly to the landlord on a monthly basis as long as the family remains a program participant.
Before becoming a program participant, the family must apply for the waiting list and submit required documents to verify eligibility. Eligibility is based on income guidelines published by HUD annually. The housing staff uses the very-low income guidelines to determine eligibility. Periodically, the waiting list is closed when there is a sufficient pool of applicants. Participants must attend a required briefing and agree to abide by HUD rules.
Download the Income Guidelines (PDF)
Download the Section 8 Application (PDF)
Tenant Based Rental Assistance
Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) is a program that helps low-income families with security deposits for utilities and rent. The Agency provides assistance in these 17 participating counties which have signed cooperative agreements: Chase, Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Geary, Jewell, Lincoln, Marion, Mitchell, Morris, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Republic, Riley, Saline and Wabaunsee. Funding for this program is made possible through a grant from the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program administered through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC).
Applications are still being accepted! Applications for TBRA are still available. Up to $100,000 in TBRA funding has been made available. Fully-completed applications will be considered on a first-come-first serve basis. Completed applications must be submitted to the Flint Hills Housing Assistance program of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging at 401 Houston St., Manhattan, KS 66502. For more information, please call 1-800-432-2703 or you can e-mail Vivianne.
Health Insurance Counseling
Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK)
SHICK is the Kansas component of the federal State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) that is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As a SHICK partner, the NC-FH AAA recruits and provides training for a network of 70 volunteer counselors located throughout the 18-county region who answer questions, explain benefits, and help solve health insurance problems. To ask questions or to make an appointment for a face-to-face meeting, contact us or call 1-800-432-2703 or feel free to e-mail Kelsey.
We are very much in need of volunteers for the 2023 SHICK season. Would you want to help? Please click here to learn more.
Extra Help with Prescription Drugs
The Social Security Administration can provide EXTRA HELP to eligible Medicare enrollees for prescription drug benefits. Our counselors can assist you in evaluating if you might be eligible and in understanding how to submit your application, please Contact Us. Additional information about the “Extra Help” program, including application materials, can be found on the Social Security Administrations website.
Long Term Home Care
The Long Term Care Services Department helps seniors, caregivers and people with disabilities successfully remain in their home or transition from hospitals to home and remain beyond the doorways of nursing homes by assessing their needs, identifying resource options and helping them access and link to an array of helpful services in their community.
Senior Farmers’ Market Program
The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides coupons to help low-income seniors purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, and local honey at farmers markets, roadside stands and farm stores. This program provides a one-time annual benefit of $50 to purchase eligible foods from authorized farmers.
Eligibility
To qualify, you must be at least 60 years of age, or 55 years of age and a member of an Indian Tribal Organization, and meet the following income guidelines: Household of 1: Annual Income cannot be greater than: $26,973; Monthly: $2,248; Weekly: $519 Household of 2: Annual Income cannot be greater than: $36,482; Monthly: $3,041; Weekly: $702 Household of 3: Annual Income cannot be greater than: $45,991; Monthly: $3,833; Weekly: $885 For additional household members check this link: (Source: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1053/Senior-Applicants )
Eligibility is determined by household size, but benefits are distributed individually, meaning any others in your household also meeting the age and income requirements may apply for and receive their own benefits.
How to Apply
Those who wish to apply should contact the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging by calling 785-776-9294 or 1-800-432-2703. Vouchers are distributed on a first come, first serve basis.
(Source: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1053/Senior-Applicants )
Should you apply after September 15, 2023, or you are told benefits are no longer available, you will be added to a waitlist and contacted if additional farmers market benefits become available.
Be Well! Stay Well!
Our Be Well! Stay Well! programs provide evidence-based exercise and physical wellness programs, particularly to help seniors improve balance and prevent falls---the number one health risk for people. Classes are available to seniors and caregivers in as many locations as possible.
A Matter of Balance – An eight-session Fall Prevention program that emphasizes practical strategies to reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels. Participants learn to view falls and fear of falling as controllable, set realistic goals to increase activity, change their environment to reduce fall risk factors, and exercise to increase strength and balance.
Tai Chi for Arthritis – An eight-session balance and fall-prevention program target to help people with arthritis and improves balance, health and well-being.
Please contact us for more information about upcoming classes. A listing of our upcoming classes is available.
In addition to participants, the agency is actively recruiting local people to lead classes.
Resources by County
A directory of in-home services and service providers available within each county in the NC-FH’s region and statewide. Published in partnership with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, this directory is especially helpful for frail elderly people in danger of institutionalization and for hospitals, health departments and other health professionals to identify support systems to implement the Client Assessment, Referral, & Evaluation (CARE) Program.
