Survey: Olney Needs Meals on Wheels

A survey conducted by the Olney Enterprise and the Olney Senior Cub Center shows that many Meals on Wheels recipients rely on the program as their main source of nutrition and say they do not have alternative sources of food assistance if it was cut.

Meals on Wheels chapters across Texas are urging state lawmakers to increase funding for the Texans Feeding Texas program which supports meal services for low-income seniors and homebound individuals.

Advocates are calling on the Legislature to allocate $25 million to the program – up from $10 million - arguing that a portion of the state’s $20 billion budget surplus should be used to ensure that Texas seniors do not go hungry Meals on Wheels also receives funding from a part of the federal budget that Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have targeted for spending cuts. Although congressional lawmakers have not specifically targeted the program, it remains unclear which programs would be cut, according to the Associated Press.

The Enterprise and the Cub Center sent out the 10-question survey along with food deliveries last month and posted the survey online for both recipients and family and friends of recipients to fill out, and received back 55 responses.

Most respondents (70 percent) use the program daily and rate it “very essential” to their lives. Almost the same number (67 percent) said a reduction in Meals on Wheels funding would affect them “significantly.” About 38 percent also get food from food banks, and about 53 percent said they rely on family and friends to help fill their nutrition needs, the survey showed. About 7.7 percent also receive SNAP benefits. The respondents were overwhelmingly aware (70 percent) that the program faces possible cuts, and 84 percent said they were “very concerned.”

When asked for comments regarding cuts to the program, respondents described Meals on Wheels as “essential to the elderly.”

The survey asked for additional comments or concerns regarding to potential cuts, and received the following responses: “Many of us are on the edge now. I might have to miss eating some days.”

“I depend on them, otherwise I probably wouldn’t eat a good meal daily.”

“Please don’t do it.” “Cuts would be very damaging to the community.”

“The government needs to look elsewhere to cut!”

“The prices for food is so expensive. What are we going to do? These are the rich determining this.”

“This consideration of even cutting it out [is] really disturbing and absolutely is a travesty!”

“There are so many shut-ins who would truly suffer over no delivery of meals.”