INDIANAPOLIS -- More than 1,400 senior citizens will have to look elsewhere for a daily hot meal starting Monday.
CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions is making big cuts to its Meals and More program, which delivers daily hot meals to homebound older adults in Central Indiana.
CICOA is laying off 35 delivery drivers and two site managers, including Jacquelyn Burnett, a delivery driver of five years.
“I like helping people and serving them,” said Burnett. “When people see me coming, they’re just happy. A lot of my clients aren’t happy (about the cuts), but that’s what you have to do sometimes.”
Home delivery clients will instead receive a batch of frozen meals every other week.
CICOA CEO Orion Bell said the agency did not take the decision lightly, but CICOA could no longer afford to operate the home meal delivery at an approximate $250,000 deficit each year.
“We could reduce the number of people we serve, or the number of meals we serve, but doing frozen meals seemed to be the best option we had with the available funding,” said Bell.
The hot meal delivery service costs $1.4 million a year.
“The hardest part for us is the regular interaction with the driver who brought the meal to the door,” said Bell. “We felt the lesser of two evils was to offer the meals, but offer them on a different schedule.”
The cuts come as a result of federal sequestration, or across-the-board spending cuts in 2013, Bell said.
CICOA receives less funding for senior nutrition programs today than it did in 2010, adjusting for inflation, according to CICOA.
Congressman Andre Carson (D-Indiana) said Wednesday he was opposed to cuts that impacted meals to senior citizens.
“I’ve been against sequestration from the start, simply because I knew it would yield these kinds of results,” said Carson. “We can pay our debt. Seniors should not have to be punished because of political pandering.”
Carson said he is working with CICOA and encourages the elderly to contact their congressmen about the cuts to senior nutrition programs.
Families like the Bennetts, who live near 46th and Meridian Street, are disappointed they will no longer receive a daily hot meal.
Beverly Bennett, 77, is in a wheelchair and her elderly husband struggles at times to make meals for the two of them.
“I’m used to Jackie coming every day, and she’s pretty much the only person that comes every day, and I’ll miss her,” said Bennett.
CICOA is answering phone calls from concerned seniors and caretakers, and is working to get help for those who need it.
“We would love to have some volunteers for some friendly visiting or check in,” said Bell.
You can reach out to CICOA for volunteering opportunities here.
