Fiscal cliff: Federal cuts could end Meals on Wheels for 2,000 in Collier, Lee

NAPLES — Nearly 2,000 vulnerable seniors in Southwest Florida who rely on Meals on Wheels could lose the nutrition assistance in January if federal lawmakers don't avert the so-called fiscal cliff, program officials say.

The Older Americans Act faces an 8.2 percent cut of $67 million to its nutrition programs under automatic spending reductions if federal leaders don't reach an agreement by Dec. 31 on how to deal with the federal deficit. Nationwide, nearly 2 million seniors rely on nutrition assistance, mainly through Meals on Wheels.

"Florida could lose $7.8 million for Meals on Wheels," said Leigh Wade, executive director of Senior Choices of Southwest Florida, which operates nutrition services programs in the region.

That includes prepared and frozen meals delivered to seniors in their home and congregate dining where seniors go to a community center for meals, Wade said.

"We will be losing $566,000 if the fiscal cliff occurs," she said.

That means potentially 28,000 meals would be cut to nearly 2,000 seniors, and there could be reductions to other services, such as bathing assistance and respite care in their homes, Wade said.

"It's far-reaching," she said, adding that there would be some job losses and it would force changes to how family members of vulnerable seniors care for their loved ones.

"The reality is we will have to scale back services," she said. "It's hard to figure out where you start making cuts. Do you give only two baths a week? Instead of five meals a week, do you give only four?"

Not all Meals on Wheels programs receive federal dollars; several are operated by ministries and charitable groups that rely on private donations and grants. That's the case for the Community Cooperative Ministries Inc. in Lee County and the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Collier County.

"We dodged that," Laura Meyer, director of Community Cooperative, said of programs that get money through the Older Americans Act. "We get United Way money and some grants but no federal grants."

That's the upside of being privately funded, but Meyer said most seniors don't know the specifics of who pays for their "Meals on Wheels" and they could start feeling anxious if lawmakers don't reach a deal soon on tax rates and spending for 2013 and beyond.

Right now, few vulnerable seniors seem to know what could be in the works, she said.

"I don't think they are aware this is happening. We are not getting phone calls," she said.

But there likely would be a ripple effect to privately funded programs, which would see new requests for help from those displaced by the federal programs, said Wade of Senior Choices.

On top of that, there's already a waiting list now.

"That's a trend that's going to continue," Wade said. "This is our reality. We've kind of seen the writing on the wall."

According to the Meals on Wheels Association of America, more than 10,000 people turn 60 every day, and that will double to 70 million by 2030.

Since the beginning of the recession in 2007, there's been a 34 percent increase in the number of seniors who face hunger, according to the association.

Carol Harris, who operates St. Vincent de Paul's meals program for seniors in Collier, said she wasn't aware of potential cuts to the Older Americans Act. The St. Vincent's program doesn't get federal money.

"It's horrible," she said, referring to what some other Meals on Wheels programs could face. "A lot of who we deliver to are on disability."