Meals on Wheels seeks more community support

Government funding not keeping pace with need

Meals on Wheels for years has remained primarily reliant on government support to feed seniors, but a growing need in Kendall County has officials seeking more local assistance.

Funding at COVID-19 levels has tapered off, even as the population of older residents under threat of food insecurity has grown, officials said.

“It’s going to take the community to continue to take care of our own,” said Chief Executive Officer Olivia Burdick.

However, the program faces serious challenges, she added.

“Over the last two years, we have seen a 50% decrease in federal funding, which has been a significant challenge for us to overcome,”

The Center’s Allan Willwerth prepares meals for delivery to Meals on Wheels clients in the kitchen at The Center.

Star photo by Jeff B. Flinn Burdick said. “We have increased our fundraising efforts. A lot of our foundation partners have stepped up, knowing what’s going on, and have really been supportive, to ensure that no one goes hungry and that we can continue our services.”

Delivering hot, fresh meals to older residents across Kendall County is the daily goal of volunteers staffing the 42-yer-old Meals on Wheels program operating out of The Center.

Seven days a week, the kitchen staff at The Center, 17 Old San Antonio Road (formerly the Kronkosky Center), whip up and pack nutritious meals for the program’s clients across the county. There is a “suggested” voluntary contribution of $5 per meal, but payment is not a prerequisite to participation.

Then, it’s up to 14 drivers to deliver the fare to waiting recipients — and sometimes bend an ear or have a friendly conversation with clients.

Burdick said it’s her job to see that everything goes smoothly.

Now in her 13th year with Meals on Wheels, Burdick recently noted the program is trying to keep pace with the rising population growth in Boerne and Kendall County even as public funds slim down.

“On any given day in November, Meal on Wheels will serve about 220 meals,” she said. “We just ended this last year doing 56,000 meals to over 300 clients, our neighbors, in Kendall County,” Burdick said.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw a spike in the program’s client base, with the food becoming a vital lifeline for many residents, she said.

“Everyone 60-plus was eligible to come onto our service, no questions asked,” she said. “They were considered homebound and vulnerable because of what was going on.”

The program, which was operating at 2019 funding at the time, did see a lot of support during COVID to keep up with the level of service, she added.

However, COVID-era surpluses have since dried up even as more clients need help, she said.

“We’ve now moved past those years, and a lot of people have stayed on service,” Burdick said. “All of the funding for COVID relief has gone away, which means we’re all back down to 2019 funding levels.”

Even without an increase in government financial support, the program is trying to keep pace with rising costs and preparing meals for more clients.

“In 2019, we were serving a little over 47,000 meals. We’re serving 9,000 more meals a year now, serving about 50 more clients, on the same funding (as 2019),” she said.

The reimbursement rate the organization receives does not even cover the entire cost of fixing a meal.

“It costs us $8 to produce a meal, and if we’re getting reimbursed, it’s $6.46,” Burdick said. “And we’re only reimbursed on a percentage of the meals.”

About a third of the funding comes from the Older Americans Act, passed in 1965 and last updated in 2020, for a 2020-24 time frame.

“Our priority right now is getting the Older Americans Act reauthorized at the federal level. That’s where most of our funding comes from — a combination of federal and state funding to support our nutrition program,” she said.

The remainder of the program’s funds arise from foundation partners and the Kendall County-Boerne community at large.

The organization’s Nov. 1 fundraiser, “Beneath the Hill Country Sky,” drew more than 400 supporters to a benefit concert.

“It was really wonderful. We saw a lot of new support while also maintaining our historical partners,” she said.

The benefit raised $170,000 for Meals on Wheels, matched by a Methodist Healthcare Ministries grant of $100,000 — a $270,000 total “where last year we raised right at $100,000,” she said.

“The $270,000 makes sure we don’t have to go to a waiting list, and ... are able to keep bringing people onto service that need it,” she added.