The White House’s budget cut proposal for the next fiscal year has caused a commotion since it has suggested the budget cut of the Community Development Block Grant program which helps fund 3 percent of the Meals on Wheels program.
This proposal is seeking to cut the 3 billion dollar Community Development Block Grant program and the funding of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Community Development Block Grant program funds housing assistance and other community programs such Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels, a service that provides food the elderly, the disable, and others who are not able to leave their home for some reason, have received grand attention from people. There are 5 thousand local Meals on Wheels offices that do depend on the funding and how much of it depends on the location of the local office, according to Jenny Bertolette, spokeswoman for Meals on Wheels.
The cutback on funding doesn’t mean this service will be eliminated, on the contrary, it means there have been limitations to the service. A service that has been struggling with demands in their services and will continue even further with the limitations the budget cut will do.
Since the revelation of the proposal, there has been an increase in donations, fifty times the usual number of donations, and volunteer sign-ups for Meals on Wheels.
Another addition to the decrease in Department of Health and Human Services which is nearly seeing an 18 percent cut. The Administration on Aging, which is housed under the Department of Health and Human Services and local offices rely on for federal funding, administers grants for senior programs will be affected by this budget cut proposal.
If the Department of Health sees the decrease in funding, Meals on Wheels’ local offices will also be seeing the budget cut which is a large funding for these local offices. Although it isn’t clear on how Meals on Wheels will be affected by the new budget cut proposal, there is concern from Meals on Wheels that will it affect them.
