Meals on Wheels Is Starved for Cash, Leaving Many Seniors Hungry

[diva77]

https://truthout.org/articles/meals-on-wheels-is-starved-for-cash-leaving-many-seniors-hungry/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0c8d2522-93df-479f-b11f-0eff5492523a

By Laura Ungar & Trudy Lieberman, Kaiser Health News

Published September 3, 2019

SNIP
...millions of seniors across the country quietly go hungry as the safety net designed to catch them frays. Nearly 8% of Americans 60 and older were “food insecure” in 2017, according to a recent study released by the anti-hunger group Feeding America. That’s 5.5 million seniors who don’t have consistent access to enough food for a healthy life, a number that has more than doubled since 2001 and is only expected to grow as America grays.
SNIP
The problem is most acute in parts of the South and Southwest. Louisiana has the highest rate among states, with 12% of seniors facing food insecurity. Memphis fares worst among major metropolitan areas, with 17% of seniors like Milligan unsure of their next meal.
SNIP
And government relief falls short. One of the main federal programs helping seniors is starved for money. The Older Americans Act — passed more than half a century ago as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reforms — was amended in 1972 to provide for home-delivered and group meals, along with other services, for anyone 60 and older. But its funding has lagged far behind senior population growth, as well as economic inflation.

The biggest chunk of the act’s budget, nutrition services, dropped by 8% over the past 18 years when adjusted for inflation, an AARP report found in February. Home-delivered and group meals have decreased by nearly 21 million since 2005. Only a fraction of those facing food insecurity get any meal services under the act; a U.S. Government Accountability Office report examining 2013 data found 83% got none.

With the act set to expire Sept. 30, Congress is now considering its reauthorization and how much to spend going forward.
SNIP

[sheshe2]

1. Kick and Recommend

[CrispyQ]

2. Shameful. -nt

[virgogal]

3. No one cares about seniors,even here on DU judging from the few responses.I

am a senior and have applied for an EBT card to help out.I don’t need Meals on Wheels at this time but who knows what lies ahead.Thanks for posting this.

[elocs]

7. I'm with you. I don't think there are many DUers who know what food jeopardy really is

and so it's hard for them to relate.
I am under the 100% federal poverty level and get $28/month in food stamps but whenever we get a SS COLA they cut my food stamps. I told the woman from social service that if this keeps up pretty soon I'll owe you money for food.

In a few hours I will be making my monthly trip to my local food pantry
When you are poor you can't afford to get uppity or self righteous about where you need to go or shop just to get by.

[virgogal]

15. As I mentioned I am waiting to see if I'm approved

for an EBT card....I was unaware that a SS COLA effected the amount. One more thing to worry about.😩

[Hortensis]

16. Do you know that Democrats have been trying to increase funding

for most of this century, that I know of? Probably longer.

People who prefer to complain about everyone but themselves instead of finding out exactly what their nation needs them to complain about are a huge part of the reason more people haven't been voting Democrat.

Care about hungry people of any age? Start complaining about the Republicans who've taken and created every opportunity since they gained dominance back in 1980 to slash funding for those in need. We need to all be the fix we think others should be.

Btw, when it was passed in 1961, back in the liberal New Deal era, the Older Americans Act had bipartisan support. With 2020 coming up fast, the Republicans badly need something decent to shout about, so there's a fair chance it'll be reauthorized.

[Doremus]

4. Meals on Wheels was one of the targets of the last round of budget cuts.

They'll keep cutting social programs as long as we keep letting them.

[PRETZEL]

21. I remember those discussions from last year,

and working for an area agency on aging, I was asked on more than 1 occaison what effect that would have on our HDM programs. Fortunately, that effect wouldn't have been great. One reason is that the amount of monies under the CDBG programs was not significant (which is unlike a great many other meal programs) so there would have been a margin by which we could have made up any funding cuts.

In reading this article and others that come my way concerning meal programs is, and maybe it's not being relayed, is a somewhat lack of coordination and combining of resources. Many times non-profit programs end up negotiating with a vendor just for their particular program. What we have done is to have our participating agencies that aren't cooking on-site to use the same vendor (and the reason we do this is so that we may be able to monitor them for quality). The overall effect is that our partner agencies are getting better meals at a better price since the food vendor can use economies of scale.

When your partners are combining to provide hundreds of thousands of meals (combined hot and cold), even a $.05 savings per meal can go a long way.

[blogslut]

5. kick

[JudyM]

6. K&R

[Raine]

8. This is really sad

Meals on Wheels is a very worthwhile program. I remember the rethugs badmouthing it years back when Obama was in, seems like it's been suffering ever since.

[Tanuki]

9. GOP Senate would rather pay MF45's golf expenses than care for our vulnerable elders

"In June, the U.S. House passed a $93 million increase to the Older Americans Act‘s nutrition programs, raising total funding by about 10% to $1 billion in the next fiscal year. In inflation-adjusted dollars, that’s still less than in 2009. And it still has to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, where the proposed increase faces long odds."
-----------
That $93 million is far less than the $110 million the pretender has spent on golf alone so far.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

10. Two American travesties here (at least):

1. Defunding or inadequate funding by Congress of basic nutritional support for those in need, and
2. Phenomenal food waste all across the nation.

We can do better.......

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Feeding America web site....

Feeding America

Link: https://www.feedingamerica.org/

Charity Navigator info (all four star ratings):

Out of a perfect score of 100:

Overall Score & Rating 94.28
Financial 92.50
Accountability & Transparency 97.00

(snip)

Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger.

KY.............

[Archae]

12. I get Meals On Wheels...

I do pay some of the cost directly, though.

Good food though for the money.

[Joe941]

13. Does the foot taste ok?

[Archae]

18. The foot I never tried to eat. The food is good though.

[Joe941]

20. lol. whoops.

[Joe941]

14. America wastes the most food anywhere in the world...

and yet we have people that go hungry. Shameful.

[DeminPennswoods]

22. This!

nt

[smirkymonkey]

17. This is sickening when you think about how much tax money we pay for Trump to go

golfing at his own properties every weekend! There is no excuse!

[LuckyCharms]

19. Truly a shame. I delivered Meals on Wheels for awhile...

and there is another benefit besides the meals. It is an opportunity to check on Seniors who live alone, when they would not otherwise be checked on.