Mobile Meals, a program of Axess Family Services, is facing a critical funding shortfall, threatening its ability to provide life-sustaining meals to older adults and individuals with disabilities. Since 2019, the program has lost nearly $600,000 in funding while meal costs have risen sharply and pandemic-era support has disappeared. As a result, 144 clients have been cut from the program, meal deliveries have been reduced from five to four days a week, and a waitlist of over 300 people continues to grow. For clients like Eugene, a 77-year-old veteran who recently went two days without food, Mobile Meals is more than a service, it’s a lifeline. Many recipients who live alone are hesitant to seek out assistance, and rely on these meals to remain independent and nourished.
Founded in 1971 and now part of Axess Family Services, Mobile Meals has adapted over the years to serve a growing and increasingly diverse aging population. Despite implementing cost-saving changes like bulk meal preparation and shifting wellness checks to phone calls, the program remains at risk. Continued uncertainty around federal funding, including the restructuring of the Older Americans Act, only adds to the strain. We believe that access to food and dignity should never be a political issue, and with your help, it doesn’t have to be. Workplace giving allows you to directly support local seniors in need. Every contribution helps ensure no one is left behind.
