St. Mary’s County commissioners paused their July 21 business meeting to honor three longtime contributors to the county’s Home-Delivered Meals Program, recognizing Ann and Paul Jean, Mary Ann Rymer and the Center of Life Enrichment for 20 years of service to homebound seniors.
The commendations, presented during the commissioners’ regular business meeting at the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown, came ahead of a full agenda that included grant approvals and a new round of federal redevelopment nominations. But the recognition offered a window into one of the county’s longest-running safety-net programs, one that has quietly delivered meals to isolated seniors across St. Mary’s County for decades with the help of volunteer drivers.
The Home-Delivered Meals Program is run through the county’s Department of Aging & Human Services and is designed to help seniors age in place rather than move into institutional care. The program is funded through a mix of federal money under the Older Americans Act, along with state and county funds and private donations, and does not charge recipients for the meals they receive, though donations are accepted to help sustain the service. To qualify, a resident must be 60 or older and homebound, unable to leave home without assistance or shop and cook for themselves.
The county offers two delivery options: fresh meals delivered by volunteer drivers around midday, Monday through Friday, and frozen meals delivered once a week in batches of five. The program leans heavily on community volunteers to keep both tracks running, and county officials have continued to seek new volunteer drivers even as the program marks its 20th year of service to some of its longest-tenured supporters.
The county’s aging population has made that kind of support increasingly important. St. Mary’s County’s senior population has grown steadily over the past two decades alongside the county’s overall population, which the U.S. Census Bureau estimated at roughly 116,700 residents in 2025 — up from about 113,800 at the 2020 census. That growth has put added pressure on county services aimed at seniors, including the Department of Aging & Human Services’ broader portfolio of programs, which also includes congregate meals at the county’s senior activity centers, caregiver support, transportation assistance and the Aging and Disability Resource Center, a free information and referral hub for residents and families navigating long-term care decisions.
The Home-Delivered Meals Program operates alongside a separate congregate meal option, in which seniors can eat catered lunches at the Garvey, Loffler and Northern senior activity centers for a small suggested donation. County officials have described the two programs as complementary: the congregate option provides socialization for seniors who are able to travel to a senior center, while home delivery reaches those who cannot leave their homes at all, pairing a meal with a wellness check from a volunteer or staff driver.
The commissioners did not detail Tuesday how many meals the honorees have collectively delivered over their two decades of service, nor did they elaborate on the history of the Center of Life Enrichment’s involvement with the program. County officials have said in the past that the meals program depends on a rotating base of volunteers willing to commit to regular routes, and continued recruitment remains a standing need for the department.
The commendations were among the lighter items on an otherwise business-heavy agenda. Commissioners went on to approve a state grant to continue funding a sheriff’s office coordinator who tracks overdoses and drug trends, take up new federal redevelopment zone nominations, and authorize a historic preservation grant application, before closing the morning session and reconvening that afternoon for a ribbon-cutting at the county’s newly opened Early Learning Center.
Residents interested in volunteering as a Home-Delivered Meals driver, or in requesting meal delivery for a homebound family member, can contact the Department of Aging & Human Services’ Community Programs & Outreach Division. The department also oversees a range of other senior services, including in-home support, senior rights advocacy and public guardianship programs, all aimed at helping older residents remain independent in their own homes.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County meet regularly at the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown, with meetings broadcast live on SMCG TV Channel 95 and streamed on the county’s YouTube channel.
All photos courtesy of the St. Mary’s County Public Information Office
