John,

As Congress negotiates a final FY25 spending package, one program that needs increased funding is Meals on Wheels.

The Older Americans Act (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 services to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults. 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.

Because funding has been reduced while costs have risen, one in three Meals on Wheels programs has a waiting list, with eligible people waiting an average of 90 days to get help. People seeking help are being turned away.¹

Currently, more than 1 in 4 older people live alone. According to the Urban Institute, 1 in 5 Americans will be age 65 and older by 2040―that’s 80 million people!²

Congress must do more to care for older adults, and that means fully funding the Older Americans Act and the Meals on Wheels program. Click here to demand Congress fully fund programs for older adults.

Meals on Wheels provides 251 million meals that are delivered to 2.2 million older adults annually.³ It’s expected that 14 million older people will be food insecure by 2030, with communities of color feeling the most impact.⁴

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 the needs of older Americans. 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.⁵

We must not leave out some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Send a direct message to Congress urging them to fully fund the Older Americans Act and Meals on Wheels.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Outside Witness Testimony of Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America
² The US Population Is Aging
³ Meals on Wheels America: What We Deliver
⁴ https://www.instagram.com/mealsonwheelsamerica/p/DAZDXcwpc9x/
⁵ Outside Witness Testimony of Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America