Meals On Wheels Sees Surge In Online Donations After Threat Of Federal Funding Cuts

Meals on Wheels, the national organization that serves senior citizens across the country, has seen a surge in online donations after a budget blueprint released by the Trump administration suggested eliminating a $3 billion Community Development and Block Grant Program.

On a given day, Meals on Wheels receives about $1000 in unsolicited online donations but on Thursday, the day the budget blueprint was released, the organization raised more than $50,000 online, Jenny Bertolette, a spokesperson for the organization, said in an emailed statement to Patch. The organization also saw a nearly 500 percent increase in in volunteer signups on Thursday compared to the previous day.

The Community Development Block Grant program, which falls under the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, is funding distributed to the states, which then distribute it in a variety of ways. The Meals on Wheels program is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the program, but it is far from the only one.

"While Meals on Wheels America and local Meals on Wheels programs are seeing an uptick in giving, it does not replace federal funding," Bertolette said. "What is most valuable to us is the fact that so many people are speaking out in support of this public-private partnership and demanding that Meals on Wheels remain a funding priority. "

President Donald Trump's proposed budget also calls for a 17.9 percent cut to the Department of Health and Human Services. Meals on Wheels receives 35 percent of of its total funding "for the provision of congregate and home-delivered meals from the federal government through the Older Americans Act," which is administered by HHS. As The New York Times' Upshot explains, it's quite possible Meals on Wheels could be affected by the cuts but we won't know until HHS finalizes its budget.

Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, defended the cuts to the CDBG, saying the program doesn't show any results.

"We can't spend money on programs just because they sound good," Mulvaney said in response to a question about the plan to cut the funding. He said the choice to fund Meals on Wheels is a state-level decision, not federal. (An analysis by the Upshot found that while the cost-effectiveness of Meals and Wheels can be debated, it's wrong to say that it's not effective.)

Bertolette said the online donations would be used to help fund national advocacy efforts and awareness campaigns. Meals on Wheels is a decentralized organization with a network of 5000 senior nutrition programs. While the national office receives just 3 percent of its funding from government funds, its the programs at the local level, that receive money through the CDBG, that would be hard hit by the proposed cut.

Karen Wall contributed to this report

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