GOLINDA, Texas (KXXV) — Meals on Wheels is fighting funding cuts with a new $1 million campaign to help hundreds of Central Texas seniors waiting for meals.
- Meals on Wheels is struggling after federal funding cuts.
- More than 250 Central Texas neighbors are on the waitlist for meals.
- A new $1 million “Step Up for Seniors” campaign aims to close the gap.
Watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Meals on Wheels is an organization that delivers about 400 meals a day across Mclennan, Hill and Falls counties.
“They deliver to our homebound seniors as well as some disabled folks and sometimes that meal that they receive from Meals on Wheels may be the only meal that they get in the day,” said Meals on Wheels Chief Executive Officer Estrellita Doolin.
But in recent years, cuts in federal funding have made it harder for the organization to keep up with the growing needs of our community.
More than 250 neighbors are currently on a waiting list for assistance here in Central Texas.
“Our funding of both the private donations that we get from the community as well as grants that we get from the government have been declining while our population and the need in the community has been increasing,” said Doolin.
That growing gap is why they’re now relying on campaigns like ‘Step up for Seniors,’ an effort to raise one million dollars to eliminate the waitlist.
“We don’t want to be so reliant on government funding which is completely out of our control,” said Doolin.
Meals on Wheels has already reached 30% of their Step up for Seniors goal.
To donate or learn how to contribute to their efforts, you can find more information here—or visit their facility off 501 West Waco Drive.
