The Volunteer Network on Aging (VNA), a 100-year-old nonprofit serving seniors across Knox County, is calling on local leaders to partner in securing long-term stability for senior services. After years of quiet outreach to city and county officials, VNA has now mobilized a grassroots effort to gain the local funding necessary to unlock over $700,000 in federal Title III dollars — funding that directly supports meals, counseling, and essential services for seniors.

“We are not here to shame or denigrate anyone,” said Michael Bennett, Executive Director of VNA. “We are here to invite collaboration — to show our community that we take care of our own. I have sat with seniors who told me they didn’t know how they would afford both groceries and medicine in the same week. I’ve watched my own father rely on these services. I have directly benefited from services as his caregiver. This is not abstract. It’s not numbers on a spreadsheet. These are our neighbors, our parents, our grandparents. If we are fortunate, every single one of us will be a senior someday. The way we treat seniors today is the way our children will learn to treat us tomorrow.”

These calls for support are not new. VNA has been reaching out to city and county leaders since 2023 when funding bottlenecks first threatened to prematurely close its doors — a crisis that would have left more than 1,000 current seniors, and over 10,000 potential seniors across Knox County, without access to crucial programming designed to help them remain in their homes.

Over the past four years, Title III funding itself has grown — and with it, the required 15% local cash match. What was once about $40,000 has now tripled to nearly $120,000. Each year, VNA has found a way to meet that match, but doing so has become harder and harder, leaving seniors in limbo until the very last second while stopgap solutions were pulled together. This is not a matter of optional growth — it is a federal requirement that must be met in order to keep vital services flowing. At present, both the City of Galesburg and Knox County contribute $0 toward this match.

“We are not trying to bend the branch until it breaks,” Bennett added. “We are trying to act before the storm does. Seniors should not have to hang on to a fragile system, waiting for it to snap. Together, we can strengthen it before it fails.”

To amplify this message, VNA has organized a petition drive that has already gathered hundreds of signatures from across the community. Residents who wish to add their voices before the September 15 City Council meeting can sign online at openpetition.org/!mpdqb, in person at the VNA Senior Center on Grand Avenue, at Tres Café in Galesburg, or at several local churches. All signatures will be collected on September 14 and presented to City Hall on the 15th.

“Our hope is that these collective voices will carry the gravity this cause deserves,” Bennett said. “VNA has been serving Knox County seniors for over a century. With local collaboration, we can make sure seniors continue to thrive for the next century to come.”

About VNA

Founded in 1921 the Volunteer Network on Aging (VNA) provides meals, counseling, and support services to 1000+ seniors across Knox County every year. VNA is committed to ensuring that every senior has the resources, dignity, and community they deserve.