About Us - NRCNA

Who We Are

The National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (NRCNA) is hosted by Meals on Wheels America as part of a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living.

Our Vision

To build the capacity of the aging services network to provide nutrition services for both current and future older adult populations integrated into a home- and community-based service system and provide training and technical assistance to the aging network regarding nutrition services. Additionally, the NRCNA works to enhance the aging service network’s knowledge regarding the role of nutrition services in health promotion and disease prevention, and the scientific and clinical evidence that support both healthy meals and other nutrition services.

Our Host

Meals on Wheels America – the oldest and largest national organization representing local, community-based Senior Nutrition Programs across the country. This national organization and network representing 5,000 community-based senior nutrition programs that serve over one million meals every day to seniors across the country. To learn more about Meals on Wheels America, please visit our website at www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.

Our Funder

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in 2012. ACL brings together the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the HHS Office on Disability to serve as the Federal agency responsible for increasing access to community supports, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Our Journey

2011
2014
2017

In October 2011, Meals on Wheels America was awarded a three-year grant to establish a new National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (NRCNA) to assist the national aging network, including local nutrition programs as well as national associations and state and regional agencies involved with aging, in the implementation of the nutrition portions of the Older Americans Act. The purpose of the NRCNA was to modernize the provision of senior nutrition services by providing tools and resources which promote program excellence, service quality, business acumen and models for social entrepreneurship.

In August 2014, the Administration for Community Living announced it would re-awarded a grant to Meals on Wheels America for the continued funding of the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging as a platform that supports the nutrition services programs by helping to enhance their skills, knowledge, and sustainability. The NRCNA then expanded its 2011 mandate by increasing the availability of information about promising practices for successful integration of the nutrition network into the changing home- and community-based services network and healthcare arena.

In September 2017, the Administration for Community Living re-awarded Meals on Wheels America for the continued hosting of the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging – its goal now is to equip the Aging Network with timely, relevant, high quality opportunities that build knowledge and skills among nutrition and aging professionals in a variety of roles at all levels of professional development. The NRCNA will build on its substantial accomplishments over the last six years to further develop the Nutrition and Aging Network as a vital component of the Home and Community based Services (HCBS) and Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS) systems.

Staff

Ucheoma Akobundu
Senior Director, Nutrition Strategy

Sharron Corle
Director, Learning and Development

Sammi Heffron
Manager, Learning and Development