Meals on Wheels, CASS mark one-year anniversary of merger,
celebrate synergy and benefit to seniors
On Feb. 23, Meals on Wheels marked the one-year anniversary of its merger with Cincinnati Area Senior Services. The two agencies shared a similar mission of
helping the region’s seniors live independently and thrive, and the synergy created by combining these operations has proven to be a benefit to everyone over the past year.
In 2021, Meals on Wheels served 1.4 million meals to 10,000 seniors in 12 counties throughout Greater Cincinnati, utilizing the gifts of 150 employees and 1,000 volunteers. While both organizations served the senior community, they each offered services the other did not. By having all services now available under a single organization, those in need are able to find help faster and easier, saving them time and energy.
Those services that both organizations offered independently were combined, creating efficiencies and savings through economies of scale and reduction of overlap.
“The merger was a great move for seniors,” says Tracey Collins, who shifted from CEO of CASS to Chief Integration Officer for the merged organization. “As a single organization, we’ve been able to serve them in ways that we couldn’t do separately. From the business perspective, we retained all of our programs and services, and no one lost their job. In fact, we added jobs.”
“After a year, I think everyone universally agrees that combining the agencies was a good move, both for the organizations and, especially, for the region’s seniors,” says Jennifer Steele, who retained the role of CEO of the combined agencies. “We are a stronger organization overall, and that has allowed us to better serve the senior community not only in the traditional ways we have served them for decades, but also in new ways that meet the ever-changing needs of what is a rapidly growing aging
population.”