NEW YORK — As many Americans resume some sense of normalcy in daily life, a large sector of the population hit hard by the pandemic requires more assistance than ever and nonprofit groups are working tirelessly to deliver essential help for the increasing number of seniors in need.
Hundreds of thousands of older adults across the country struggled with hunger and isolation before COVID-19, and Meals on Wheels said it has doubled down its efforts to meet growing demand even as compounding issues of inflation, food costs and gas prices rock its channels of support and funds.
"Congress finally passed the appropriations bills for 2022 and we were expecting, given the huge surge in need and more meals being served to more seniors, that both the House and Senate would approve a large increase in spending," she explained."However, Congress only approved a 1.5% increase -- which is completely inadequate and we're very concerned about a services cliff nationwide.
"Older adults have been hit the hardest by COVID and now they are really getting hit extra hard," she said, adding that"a lot of them can't afford to come to the senior center everyday anymore to get a hot meal because they're living on fixed income with health care costs, gasoline and food prices, and they're concerned."
"When you have an organization like this that relies on so many volunteers -- to deliver meals using their own vehicles and their own fuel to see those prices going up at the pumps -- we started hearing from volunteers and they're concerned," he said."I had a lady this week in a Prius of all things, when I was greeting her in the pickup line and she said 'I just don't know about these prices.' So it's been tough.
"That has impacted the food products that we could get in here to prepare because sometimes it was just, 'surprise that's not coming in' and we're not going to get it," he said."The biggest problem has been the cost increase. Since the start of the pandemic our actual meal cost of increased about 20%," he said of their program that operates its own kitchen and is in the process of completing a new 44,000 square foot facility slated to open in October.
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