Carver COA Adopts Storm Policy Tied to School Closures, Approves Assessment Contract

CARVER — March 26, 2026 — Carver Council on Aging adopts storm closure policy and reports record meal numbers. The board unanimously approved a new weather policy Thursday drafted by COA Director Connie Kelly that cancels all COA programs, transportation, and meal services — including home-delivered meals and volunteers — whenever Carver public schools close due to weather; the COA office itself stays open unless town hall closes. Kelly's director's report showed home-delivered meals reached 1,300 in March, the highest single-month total on record, up from 917 in February, driven by increased referrals through Old Colony Elder Services; Kelly noted the program currently covers its costs through Old Colony's $3-per-meal reimbursement and donations but said "we may need to ask for more assistance" if volumes keep rising. Kelly also announced a $30,000 contract with the UMass Amherst Donahue Institute, funded through an existing grant, to conduct an updated senior needs assessment from April through August — the first since one done roughly a decade ago — with a report due by year's end and a potential future COA building site tied to the outcome of an EMS station relocation to Route 58.