Benefits · Nutrition

How to apply for Council on Aging in Union County — FREE Meals + 5-Days/Week Home Delivery + Supplemental Nutrition (Ensure)

Council on Aging in Union County, Inc. (COAUC) — 501(c)(3) nonprofit; contracted local AAA delivery partner under Elder Options (Mid-Florida Area Agency on Aging, PSA 3) for OAA Title III nutrition + Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) services in Union County; Senior Service Center at 665 SE 4th Street, Lake Butler FL 32054

Who it's for

Council on Aging in Union County (COAUC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving as the contracted local AAA delivery partner under Elder Options (Mid-Florida AAA, PSA 3) for OAA Title III nutrition + Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) services in Union County. COAUC's Senior Service Center is at 665 SE 4th Street in Lake Butler. The Union County Senior Nutrition Program is genuinely FREE — meals are provided to Union County residents 60+ at NO COST WITH NO INCOME GUIDELINES — an unusually generous eligibility approach. Programs include: (1) Congregate Meals at the Senior Service Center; (2) Home Delivered Meals — volunteers deliver FIVE healthy lunchtime meals per week to seniors unable to obtain food or prepare meals and who are unable to leave their homes unassisted (the 5-day-a-week home delivery is more frequent than peer rural FL programs that deliver weekly or once-weekly); (3) Supplemental Nutrition Access (Ensure) — distinctive nutritional supplement program for seniors needing additional caloric intake; (4) CCE services including Case Management, Companion services, Homemaker services, and Personal Care; (5) Title III programs including Nutrition Education and Transportation referrals. Apply by calling COAUC at 386-496-2502 or via Elder Options' helpline at 1-800-262-2243.

COAUC's nutrition program is genuinely FREE with NO INCOME GUIDELINES — among the most generous eligibility approaches modeled in the FL catalog. The 5-DAYS-PER-WEEK home delivery is more frequent than peer rural FL programs (which often deliver weekly or once-weekly frozen meals). The Ensure supplemental nutrition program is DISTINCTIVE — most peer Council on Aging records don't explicitly offer nutritional supplement access. Home-delivered meals require the homebound criteria (unable to obtain food + unable to leave home unassisted). CCE in-home services (Personal Care, Homemaker) use sliding-scale fees based on income/sponsorship. The Lake Butler Senior Service Center is the central congregate site; for seniors in Worthington Springs or other outlying parts of Union County, coordinate SREC Transportation (fl.union.srec_transportation) for rides — note the service-split model means BOTH COAUC (386-496-2502) and SREC (1-844-496-0624) phones are relevant depending on need.

What you'll need

Proof of age 60+ (Florida driver's license, Florida ID, or birth certificate) — NO income guidelines required for nutrition
Proof of Union County residency (utility bill, lease, or government correspondence)
For home-delivered meals: documentation of being unable to obtain food or prepare meals and unable to leave home unassisted (homebound criteria)
For Ensure supplemental nutrition: documented nutritional need (typically physician note or COAUC case manager assessment)
For CCE in-home services: case manager assessment + income documentation for sliding-scale sponsorship determination

Where to apply

Apply online: official application

By phone: 386-496-2502

Renewals

annual reassessment by COAUC case manager; meals continue without interruption pending recertification

Official source →Last verified · June 4, 2026

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Not legal or financial advice. The agency makes the final eligibility decision.