They Served Us, Now Let's Serve Them - Don't Defund Meals On Wheels!

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The Trump Administration’s proposed budget cuts advise eliminating Community Development Block Grants, which many of our country’s Meals on Wheels programs rely on for support, placing our country’s bravest citizens at great risk.

Meals On Wheels has provided a crucial service to American veterans since it was initiated by a small group of compassionate Philadelphians in 1954. The program not only provides nutritious meals to the elderly and impoverished, as well as their animals, it helps them maintain the social connections that add safety and human comfort to their lives.

Meals On Wheels attempts to feed the 10 million elderly Americans—that’s one in six—who struggle with hunger in this country daily, as well as the 15.2 million living in isolation, and 18.4 million in or near poverty. The population of elderly citizens in the U.S. is expected to grow from around 60 million to over 112 million by 2050, making demand for Meals on Wheels services even greater.

More than 500,000 homebound veterans from 60 years old to over 100 are served by Meals on Wheels every year, and a large number will be left hungry and alone if the program is defunded.

There are currently around 5,000 Meals on Wheels programs operating in the U.S., some which offer added benefits like pet food delivery, senior center meal programs, home repair services, and transportation. They lend a clinically proven lifeline to those who need it most. In a randomized test for Meals on Wheels America, a scientist from Brown University concluded that seniors gain mental and physical benefit from regular visits, possibly even keeping them out of the nursing home.

“Any cuts to Meals on Wheels funding could cause programs to start waiting lists and cut back on the number of meals served,” said Jenny Bertolette, a spokesperson for Meals on Wheels. “This would no doubt effect veteran recipients in states that use those block grants to support Meals on Wheels.”

The elimination of Community Development Block Grants by way of a 16 percent cut to the Health and Human Services budget would not only burden communities already trying to fight poverty and veteran homelessness, it would make it impossible for some Meals on Wheels programs to continue operation as usual.

This myopic attempt at trimming the budget hurts those who need the most help of all, those who truly deserve our unending respect and support.

Sign to tell the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and President Trump to reconsider the proposed budget cuts and continue to fund Community Development Block Grants and Meals on Wheels!