Prairie Council On Aging

What Prairie Council On Aging does

Prairie Council On Aging (PCOA) is a nonprofit Area Agency on Aging founded in 1965 under the Older Americans Act, headquartered in Jacksonville, Illinois, with a secondary office in Carrollton. The organization delivers senior care coordination services across five rural Illinois counties (Morgan, Cass, Scott, Greene, and Jersey), serving primarily adults aged 60 and older as well as adults 18+ with disabilities. Its core offerings include nutrition programs (Bread of Love — over 40,000 meals annually at 11 community sites, and Doorbell Dinners — approximately 20,000 home-delivered meals annually in Jacksonville and South Jacksonville), the Community Care Program for in-home service coordination, Adult Protective Services for abuse and exploitation investigations, Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counseling, Benefit Access application assistance, and an Emergency Home Response Service. It also runs the Illinois Volunteer Money Management Program (IVMMP) for seniors needing bill-paying support.

The organization's revenue is derived primarily from federal Older Americans Act funding passed through Illinois (with the state contributing approximately one-third matching funds), supplemented by suggested meal donations ($4–5/day for Bread of Love, $7/day for Doorbell Dinners), Prairieland United Way scholarships for fee assistance, and unrestricted donations via PayPal, credit/debit, Venmo, and check. Services are delivered through community-led outreach including walk-in offices, toll-free phone lines, community meal sites, volunteer home delivery, and care-coordinator home visits, with referrals sourced from Illinois Department on Aging programs, Community Care Program assessments, Adult Protective Services, healthcare providers (Passavant Area Hospital prescribes meals), and word-of-mouth. PCOA employs 11–50 staff across two offices and is led by Executive Director Nancy Thorsen and Assistant Executive Director Breanna Pickens.

Underlying technology consists of standard case management systems, care coordination platforms, and basic web/social media infrastructure (pcaging.com, Facebook, Instagram); there is no proprietary technology product. The organization holds a designated-provider position within the Illinois aging services network alongside AgeLinc (the regional Area Agency on Aging in Springfield) and is a member of Meals on Wheels America, conferring both regulatory protection and access to the broader national funding and best-practice ecosystem.

Name

Prairie Council On Aging

Legal name

Prairie Council On Aging

Website

https://pcaging.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PCOA is a nonprofit Area Agency on Aging founded in 1965 that delivers nutrition, in-home care coordination, protective services, and benefits counseling to seniors aged 60+ and adults with disabilities across five rural Illinois counties (Morgan, Cass, Scott, Greene, Jersey).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Resources, Social Services & Transportation Coordination (HLADALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meals, Nutrition & Congregate Dining Day Programs (HSABANAM), Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Senior care coordination
• Aging services programs
• Nutrition meals delivery
• In-home case management
• Adult protective services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrollton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Government Funding: Primary funding from the Older Americans Act with federal government providing monetary resources to states, which add 1/3 more funding, partnering with Area Agencies on Aging and direct providers like Prairie Council On Aging.
2. Meal Donations and Contributions: Suggested donations for meals including $5/day for Bread of Love and $7/day for Doorbell Dinners. Accepts one-time, ongoing, and memorial donations via PayPal, credit/debit card, Venmo, and check.
3. Prairieland United Way Scholarships: Fee assessments and scholarships provided through Prairieland United Way generosity for clients unable to pay full meal costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prairie Council On Aging is an Area Agency on Aging that delivers senior care coordination services across five Illinois counties. Its core offerings include the Bread of Love congregate/hot meal program, Doorbell Dinners home-delivered meals (a Meals on Wheels program), Community Care Program case management arranging in-home aides and emergency response services, Adult Protective Services investigations, Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Medicare counseling, and Benefit Access application assistance. Services are tailored for adults aged 60+ and adults 18+ with disabilities, with no senior turned away due to inability to pay.

Product overview

Prairie Council On Aging operates as a senior care coordination organization offering a unified portfolio of care services for seniors aged 60 and older across Morgan, Cass, Scott, Greene, and Jersey counties in Illinois. The core offerings center on nutrition programs (Bread of Love and Doorbell Dinners meals programs), coordinated with case management (Community Care Program) that arranges in-home aide services, emergency response systems, and medication dispensers. Adult Protective Services investigates abuse cases, while SHIP and Benefit Access provide insurance counseling and application assistance. The programs are delivered through two offices in Jacksonville and Carrollton, with volunteers supporting meal delivery and money management activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bread of Love Hot nutritious mid-day meals served at community sites providing fellowship and fun, with home-delivered meals available to homebound seniors. Serves over 40,000 meals annually at 11 sites across Morgan, Cass, and Scott counties in Illinois, with suggested donations of $4-5 per day and fee assessments available for those unable to pay.
• Doorbell Dinners Meals on Wheels home-delivery program providing approximately 20,000 meals annually to elderly, disabled, and homebound individuals in Jacksonville and South Jacksonville. Includes hot meals for noon and cold meals for the evening, Monday through Friday, with dietary accommodations available and doctor-prescribed/medically necessary referrals accepted. Fee assessment available for those unable to pay the full $7/day amount.
• Community Care Program (CCP) Case management service arranging in-home services for seniors aged 60+ through the Illinois Department on Aging. Includes homecare aides, emergency home response services, and automated medicine dispensers to help seniors remain safely in their own homes, delivered with individualized comprehensive care plans.
• Adult Protective Services (APS) Investigation service for reports of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation affecting persons aged 60 and older and adults 18+ with disabilities. Services cover physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, confinement, passive neglect, willful deprivation, and financial exploitation, with supervision by a dedicated APS supervisor in the Carrollton office.
• Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Free individual counseling service providing education about Medicare, Medicare Supplement Insurance, Medicare Advantage Plans, prescription drug coverage, Extra Help from Social Security, and long-term care insurance options for seniors and Medicare beneficiaries.
• Benefit Access Assistance Assistance program helping seniors complete applications for the reduced license plate program and other benefits access services, including enrollment support across benefit categories available to Illinois residents aged 65+ or with specified disabilities.
• Illinois Volunteer Money Management Program (IVMMP) Volunteer-run program helping seniors sort mail, create budgets, pay bills, and manage finances to support continued independence at home, with both advisor and coordinator volunteer roles available.
• Emergency Home Response Service 24-hour emergency communication link providing a two-way voice communication system with an activation device worn by participants to connect them to a professionally staffed support center. Serves seniors with mobility limitations who need rapid-response access from home.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seniors remain in homes at 1/3 the cost of Medicaid-funded 24/7 skilled nursing care

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Meals on Wheels AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrairie Council on Aging is a proud member of the national Meals on Wheels America association. This partnership connects the organization to a national network dedicated to feeding seniors and combatting isolation through meal delivery programs.
• AgeLinccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgeLinc is the Area Agency on Aging based in Springfield, IL. Prairie Council On Aging partners with AgeLinc as part of the Illinois aging services network funded through the Older Americans Act.
• Prairieland United WaycoreOthersPrairieland United Way provides scholarships that enable Doorbell Dinners clients unable to pay the full $7/day fee to receive meals. The organization is located at 200 W. Douglas Ave., Jacksonville, IL 62650.
• Hamilton's CateringminorOthersHamilton's provides catered meals for the Bread of Love program, which are delivered to 11 sites across Morgan, Cass, and Scott counties.
• Passavant Area HospitalminorOthersDoorbell Dinners meals are doctor-prescribed and medically necessary, with Passavant hospital providing prescriptions for the meal program serving Jacksonville area residents.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging: Illinois Area Agency on Aging covering east-central counties with the same core services portfolio — Community Care Program case management, congregate and home-delivered meals, and Adult Protective Services.
• AgeLinc: Area Agency on Aging based in Springfield, Illinois, providing the same designated network services (case management, nutrition, benefits assistance) as Prairie Council but serving a broader central Illinois region. Directly comparable in funding structure, mandate, and service portfolio.
• West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging: Neighboring Illinois Area Agency on Aging providing in-home care, meals, and case management to seniors in west-central Illinois. Operates under the identical Older Americans Act mandate and Illinois Department on Aging funding model.

Emerging players

• Catholic Charities (Diocese of Springfield): Faith-based social services organization operating senior programs across Illinois including the same service area. Provides partial overlap in senior nutrition and case management, typically as a complementary rather than primary channel.

Broad incumbents

• AARP Foundation: National nonprofit focused on senior poverty, food insecurity, and benefits access — overlapping mission with Prairie Council's nutrition and benefits programs but operating at federal advocacy and programmatic scale.
• National Council on Aging: National advocacy and service organization focused on aging well, benefits access (similar to Prairie Council's SHIP and Benefit Access programs), and senior community support. Operates at federal scale rather than direct local service delivery.
• Meals on Wheels America: National umbrella organization of which Prairie Council is a member. Operates broadly across the senior nutrition space, providing advocacy, branding, and operational support to local programs including Prairie Council's Bread of Love and Doorbell Dinners.

Regional players

• Senior Services of Northern Illinois: Regional nonprofit delivering comparable senior services (case management, nutrition, benefits counseling) in northern Illinois counties. Same Illinois Department on Aging funding architecture but different geography.
• Helping Hands of Springfield: Springfield, Illinois-based nonprofit providing senior support services including home-delivered meals and case management. Overlaps with Prairie Council's service model but concentrated in Sangamon County rather than the rural five-county area.

Others

• Land of Lincoln Legal Aid: Illinois legal aid organization serving seniors in the same rural counties with legal counseling (complementing Prairie Council's 'counseling and legal questions' services). Adjacent service rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/prairiecouncilonaging
• Instagraminstagram.com/prairie_council_on_aging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prairie-council-on-aging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prairie Council On Aging