Urge your lawmaker to boost funding for Meals on Wheels
“If people don’t know what Meals on Wheels does, have them come to my house, I’ll show them.”
Army veteran Verna Bennett credits Meals on Wheels Central Texas for helping her continue to live with dignity and independence. Bennett, who is 70 years old, worked hard all her life until chronic arthritis crippled her body, leaving her homebound, unemployed and alone.
She’s received a continuum of life-sustaining services from us since 2013. Each weekday, a Meals on Wheels volunteer delivers to Bennett a hot, nutritious meal funded in part by federal legislation and administered through a successful local partnership with the Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area.
When we learned Bennett, who uses a walker, was having problems getting around her house, our Home Repair program — funded in part by federal block grants administered through a successful partnership with Travis County — transformed it into a safer place for her to live by retrofitting her bathroom, replacing old carpeting to prevent her from falling and installing a concrete ramp outside her front door.
Bennett, like many of her fellow seniors, combats loneliness, isolation and depression every day. Meals on Wheels is not only committed to nourishing our clients’ physical health but also their emotional health. So Bennett receives through another one of our other programs — Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors — free dog food and basic veterinary care for her beloved companion, Farley. Through our Connecting Seniors with Technology pilot program — funded and supported in part by the city of Austin through the Grant for Technology Opportunities Program — access to technology has enabled Bennett to speak to and see on a regular basis her daughter and grandson in Odessa. All these services have led Bennett to conclude that “Meals on Wheels changed my life completely.”
Fortunately for Bennett, we live in an age-friendly community — as envisioned by our city’s Commission on Seniors and administered by its Public Health Department — supportive of organizations like Meals on Wheels. Sadly, federal funding for proven programs like Meals on Wheels, which has remained stagnant for many years, and for home repair programs is slated to be cut altogether — at a time when demand for our life-sustaining programs continues to grow. Congress must consider older Americans like Bennett as it crafts a new budget ahead of its Sept. 30 deadline.
Every day, 10,000 Americans turn 65 — a cascade of aging Americans that will continue with unabated intensity for the next decade. Many of these older adults, like Bennett, need help to meet basic needs. Meals on Wheels and thousands of its agencies across America provide services specifically designed to keep seniors living in their own home and, at the same time, save tax dollars.
Nearly 70 percent of our clients live on less than $19,000 per year. When one of them moves into assisted living, it costs taxpayers more than $40,000 annually. For a small fraction of that, we provide seniors with programs that enable them to age in place. Investing further in programs like ours offers a win-win-win all around — for seniors, taxpayers and our nation.
The benefits go far beyond tax savings. Our mission at Meals on Wheels Central Texas is to nourish and enrich the lives of homebound older adults and people with disabilities. Each year, we help 5,000 seniors in need. Our 7,500-plus Central Texas volunteers deliver more than nutritious lunches; they also act as our eyes and ears. We train them to perform safety and wellness checks on each of the clients on their meal route. These lunchtime visits remind the people we serve they have not been forgotten by their community.
Help Meals on Wheels change more lives for the better by calling or emailing lawmakers who represent you in Congress and urging them to increase federal funding to programs like ours. A few minutes of your time can make a world of difference for Verna Bennett and millions of homebound Americans just like her.
As caring Central Texans and taxpayers, it’s not just the smart thing to do — it’s the right thing to do.
Re: Aug. 13 commentary, “Adler: Resist lawmakers’ distractions from broken property tax system.”
I was surprised to learn from Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s commentary that most of the increase in Austin’s school taxes over the past four years has gone back into the state coffers under recapture, aka “Robin Hood.”
At a town hall meeting in April, Rep. Donna Howard told us these dollars are not even required to be spent on public education. The state instead uses a portion of the recaptured funds from school districts like Austin, Eanes, Lakeway and Round Rock to balance the general revenue budget. This amounts to a baitand-switch for taxpayers in these property-rich school districts.
Taxing districts should be
President Donald Trump’s handling of North Korea is yet another example of the stress this presidency is placing on Americans. In short order, he has managed to turn a revered institution into a reality show with bizarre, erratic behavior seemingly injected to keep ratings up. His lack of study of domestic and international issues contributes to the impression that he doesn’t care to exert the effort necessary to govern this country.
Americans are used to watching our presidents rapidly age from the burden of office. This time, it’s the American people feeling stress while Trump tweets away. Each week feels like a month — and just when one thinks it can’t get any worse, it actually does. Watching news is depressing; knowing Trump has the nuclear codes undoubtedly has more Americans reaching for the Xanax. Trump’s removal from office can’t come soon enough. Let’s urge Congress to vote him off the island.