Latest news with #EllieHollander
CBS News
26-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Tarrant County Meals on Wheels continues delivering promises despite budget cuts
People who visit Meals on Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County will quickly learn while the organization prioritizes delivering healthy meals to scores of homebound, elderly, disabled, and food-insecure clients across the region, their mission is also about building community. "No client is alike [and] most of them are all seniors, they're disabled, they're homebound…they all have that common need and that's to be fed," said Philip Gonzalez, marketing and communications manager, as he peered into the prep kitchen where many of the meals are made. Just weeks ago, the organization was facing a $450,000 budget cut that would have led to the possible suspension of several support services, though funding for home-delivered meals was reportedly not in jeopardy. "I'd hate to think what would happen to some of our clients if we weren't there to feed them," he added. While plans for those local cuts were later reversed, it reflects widespread concerns about rising costs and constant concerns that critical funding for Meals on Wheels could be on the chopping block. National leaders continue to advocate for more funding to support the critical needs of vulnerable populations. "[This] is a pivotal moment when we cannot leave America's seniors behind. It's time to invest in Meals on Wheels as a proven solution to senior hunger and isolation rather than put the health, well-being and independence of older Americans in jeopardy," said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County said the generous help they receive from the community allows them to offer other important services in addition to meals, like safety checks and social connections for older adults even as the demand for their basic services increases. "We maximize every dollar, no matter where it comes from to try to feed as many people as possible, and through the help of this generous community we have never had a waiting list," said Alissa Denton, who was recently named as the new president and CEO for Tarrant County. "A whole year's worth of Meals on Wheels is less than one day at the hospital, so we know that the work that we're doing and providing helps people stay healthy and happy in their homes," said Deaton. In a recent interview with CBS News Texas, staff members said there is a growing need for more volunteers for a wide range of activities, including open meal delivery routes as the summer months roll in. Routing Coordinator Courtney Lynch pointed to a large area map on the wall in her office. "Every dot is someone that receives a meal across Tarrant County each day. There are 271 routes, there are roughly 4,000 clients a day that we deliver to," she said. Gonzalez said some of the organization's critical needs can be met through the help of a short volunteer commitment each week. "It's that sense of giving. It doesn't take long, and it doesn't take much to smile at somebody and to say, 'Hi, how are you?'," he said. "That means so much to them." Anyone interested in volunteering and delivering meals can click here.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Silver Key Senior Services joins campaign to help seniors
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Silver Key Senior Services announced it is partnering with Meals on Wheels America for a campaign to help provide meals to seniors in need. Silver Key said that for too long, the pressing needs of seniors have been underfunded and ignored, leaving millions nationwide waiting for nutritious meals and moments of connection. Silver Key said that even though Meals on Wheels has been proven to be the most effective solution, community providers need help as well, and they can't wait any longer. 'Silver Key proudly delivers nearly 30,000 hot, nutritious meals each year to seniors who need them most, but rising costs make it increasingly difficult to keep up with demand. We are grateful for the support we've received, but to ensure every senior in need receives this vital lifeline of nutritious meals and social connection, we need additional funding and volunteers. We can't do this alone,' said Jason DeaBueno, CEO of Silver Key Senior Services. According to Silver Key, federal funding has not kept pace with either the growing senior population or rising costs, and only 1% of philanthropic donations in the U.S. go toward senior causes. Local Meals on Wheels providers like Silver Key are eager to do more but need more resources. 'Across the country, local Meals on Wheels providers are working tirelessly to deliver seniors nutritious meals and moments of connection, but they could be reaching even more seniors and doing even more for them if they had additional resources,' said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. 'That's why Meals on Wheels America launched a bold plan to End the Wait and ultimately ensure all seniors have access to the life-saving services they need to live nourished lives with independence and dignity.' More information on the End the Wait campaign and how to help Silver Key can be found on Silver Key's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Under Trump, we don't know what the government will do next. That's a problem.
Fear spread through my mother-in-law's senior housing apartment building last week that the Trump administration's announced pause on federal funding would strip residents of their Section 8 vouchers and SNAP benefits and end their deliveries from Meals on Wheels. Referring to a slate of mean-spirited, backward-thinking executive orders Trump had previously signed, the now infamous Jan. 27 Office of Management and Budget memo said that 'to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders.' Why wouldn't people getting federal financial assistance to keep a roof over their heads and food in their fridge feel like their government was treating them as disposable? A footnote in the Jan. 27 OMB memo says its reference to 'all Federal financial assistance programs' does not 'include assistance provided directly to individuals.' More significantly, a judge has paused implementation of the memo itself and the Trump administration ostensibly withdrew the memo. But neither those apparent exemptions nor a federal judge's intervention mean my mother-in-law's neighbors are wrong to be afraid. Nor does it mean they should relax. Besides the more overarching reasons we should expect Trump to take a machete to our country's social safety net, one reason for lingering concern is that Meals on Wheels falls outside the stated exemption in the OMB memo, in that it doesn't provide direct assistance to individuals. Meals on Wheels CEO Ellie Hollander was clear on that point in a Jan. 28 interview with NBC News' Ellison Barber. 'The funding goes through the states, which then ultimately gets down to a Meals on Wheels provider who then provides that service to a senior in need, but there's no direct cash to that person. It's not considered a direct federal assistance program like Social Security or Medicare would be. So we're concerned. It's confusing. And what we're concerned about is that nobody really seems to have the answer, and we don't know to whom to go to help clarify.' Not White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. When she was asked about the fate of Head Start and Meals on Wheels, she said the memo 'does not affect individual assistance that's going to Americans,' wrongly characterizing those programs. Trump is a bringer of chaos and confusion. He is myopic and mercurial and shouldn't be expected to be concerned about details such as whether this directive will kill a program that brings nutrition and social interaction to seniors. When the government itself takes on the characteristics of Trump's personality — including his impulsiveness and inattention to detail — the American people are cruelly subjected to distress. We ought to be able to trust that the U.S. government will do what the U.S. government has said it will do, but we've returned to the point on the country's timeline when the word of the United States is no more reliable than the word of Donald Trump. Any promises the country has made, any treaty it has entered into, any laws Congress has passed, any funding Congress has appropriated is only functionally valid if it reflects the ever-changing will of Trump. We ought to be able to expect reliability and predictability from our government. John Adams' famous quote that 'This is is a government of law, not of men' is considered foundational to who we are as a country. When the government takes on the characteristics of Trump, laws and rules become meaningless. Consider the dozens of Department of Education employees who attended a 'Diversity Change Agent' training in March 2019 — that is, during Trump's first term — at the urging of department human resources officials. Trump's administration has now put them on leave for attending that training, a union official told NBC News. He has also targeted FBI agents who participated in criminal investigations against him — as if those who did weren't following orders from higher-ups. On Tuesday, the U.S. announced it would stop accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong. Then it said never mind a few hours later. Trump left fully vetted refugees who were about to board flights to America stranded in Afghanistan. He slammed the door shut on Central American migrants who had used an app developed by the Biden administration to make appointments to apply for asylum. We ought to be better than this. We should expect rules and order and predictability from our government. Even the hard-hearted people who believe too many people are getting help with housing or food from the government shouldn't feel good about seniors worrying they'll go hungry. After a week of residents worrying, Meals on Wheels made its expected delivery to my mother-in-law's apartment building Thursday afternoon. Was the delivery made because the Trump administration never intended for its funding to be paused? Or was it made because the courts stopped the Trump administration from carrying out its plan? Who knows? What we know is that during a Trump administration, chaos, confusion and unpredictability reign, all of which subject Americans to unnecessary torment. This article was originally published on
