Meals On Wheels Money

A tale of two cities for Meals On Wheels money. Pueblo’s cut back from two to one hot meal per day for seniors because of funding. Silver Key runs the Meals on Wheels program in Colorado Springs. Silver Key’s Lorri Orwig says the funding for the two programs is different in each city.

Orwig says Pueblo’s program relies on donations and is also funded through the Older Americans Act. She says Pueblo is not allowed to charge a set fee for the meals it delivers. It can ask for a suggested donation. She believes in a tough economy it’s rough to ask others for more donations and to ask someone to shell out a suggested donation for their meals.

Pueblo’s Meals On Wheels program has reduced its meals from two per day to one. Silver Key’s one per day meals program relies on a different funding formula. It charges a sliding scale fee for meals depending on the income of the seniors it serves. No meal can ever be higher than five dollars. Orwig says there are 214 enrolled in the Silver Key meal program. It’s expected that number will continue to grow.