John,

Federal budget and annual appropriations negotiations are underway and one major piece of legislation that needs more attention is the Older Americans Act (OAA).

Passed in 1965, the OAA is the foundational source of support and funding for seniors’ health and supportive services, including nutritional programs such as Meals on Wheels, family caregiver support, and it funds services to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of senior citizens. The OAA Nutrition Program delivers meals but also social connection to adults 60 and older in group, grab-and-go, and/or individual home settings.

Through the Meals on Wheels program, 251 million meals are delivered to 2.2 million seniors annually.¹ A FY 2025 appropriations request of $1.842 billion would fund local programs at levels necessary to address the needs of a rapidly growing aging population that is increasingly threatened by hunger and isolation.

Send a message to Congress, urging them to reject cuts and fully fund the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program now. Our seniors deserve nothing less.

The FY 2024 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill cut funding to the OAA Nutrition Program for the first time in a decade, leaving local nutrition programs struggling for financial support and to meet seniors’ needs. Today, 99% of Meals on Wheels programs report challenges to serving seniors in need, and 97% of programs believe there is unmet need in their communities.²

At the same time, the issues of senior hunger and isolation are growing: Eight out of ten low-income, food insecure older adults are not receiving the congregate or home-delivered meals they are eligible for and likely need,³ and more than one in four seniors lives alone.⁴

Congress needs to hear from you. Sharing your stories and the impact Meals on Wheels and other senior support services have had on your family and your community will help members of Congress understand how essential these services are. With wait lists growing and more potential funding cuts on the table, your voice matters.

Send a message to Congress today, urging them to invest in the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Meals on Wheels America: What We Deliver
² Outside Witness Testimony of Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America
³ Outside Witness Testimony of Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America
⁴ Older people are more likely to live alone in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world