Fort Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – The chief executive of Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County has written an open letter, responding to President Trump’s initial budget blueprint.
In the budget, block grants totaling $3 billion are cut. Meals on Wheels does not receive direct funding for the federal government but some chapters do rely on the grants.
In Tarrant County, Chief Executive Carla Jutson posted an open letter over the weekend, saying 48 percent of the chapter’s funding comes from various government entities.
“We should be increasing federal funding, not decreasing, because our seniors are increasing at a very dramatic rate,” Jutson says.
In Tarrant County, Meals on Wheels had a budget of $6.7 million last year. About 35 percent of the money came from fundraising. Forty-eight percent comes from government sources.
Jutson says a program like Meals on Wheels helps people stay independent and prevents more expensive hospital trips, paid for by Medicare or Medicaid.
“I will tell you that for every dollar the federal government puts into our Meals on Wheels program saves $50 in Medicaid and Medicare,” she says.
Jutson says independence offered by Meals on Wheels can help people avoid moving to a nursing home. Volunteers who deliver meals are trained to make sure clients’ electricity is on, they are able to maintain their home and run heating or air conditioning.
“That human contact, for many of our clients, that’s the only human being they’ll talk to that day,” she says. “Even if it’s just for a few minutes, it means so much to them.”
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