MEALS ON WHEELS OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA APPEALS TO GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES TO #SAVELUNCH FOR SENIORS AS FEDERAL FUNDING THREATENED
Pacific Grove, Calif. – November 2, 2023 – Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula (MOWMP) joins other local Meals on Wheels programs across the country in calling upon Congress to #SaveLunch for millions of American seniors at a time when key hunger relief and nutrition programs are being threatened. MOWMP is urging representatives to protect and increase funding for Meals on Wheels programs and is asking community members to take action by visiting SaveLunch.org, where supporters can easily send Congress a direct message about this issue.
Federal funding has not kept pace with inflation or the rapid growth in Monterey County’s senior population. Cuts of any kind will widen the existing gap between the clients MOWMP is able to serve, and those desperately in need of the lifeline the organization provides. MOWMP serves meals throughout Monterey County to homebound seniors, disabled adults, veterans, and other underserved populations, along with seven Group Dining sites for ambulatory clients.
“Programs like ours are a proven solution to a problem that is far too common: seniors dealing with hunger and isolation at a time when they already struggle to stay independent and healthy at home, where they want to be,” says Christine Winge, executive director at MOWMP. Winge continues, “Unfortunately, programs like ours can only reach their full potential if federal funding is increased to keep pace with inflation and a soaring increase in local demand.”
Underscoring the importance of federal funding for nutrition programs, a newly released evidence-based Meals on Wheels report highlights a set of consistent findings that programs like MOWMP improve health, safety, social connection, and more while saving tremendous monetary costs for individuals and the healthcare system. MOWMP’s programs improve access to nutrition and socialization, and a client’s ability to age in place through food security, diet quality, wellness checks, and the organization’s Home Heart Heroes program focused on home safety upgrades.
