Community
BY SIENNA WIGHT
List of services MOWCTX o ers various meal and nutritional programs, including: • Home-delivered meals • Healthy Options Program for the Elderly, which provides grocery delivery • Groceries to Go, which has volunteers provide support for grocery shopping • Congregate lunch centers Other services include: • Home repair • Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors, or PALS • Personal care services, such as medication reminders or personal hygiene • Homemaker services, such as laundry, shopping or light housekeeping • Supportive services, such as respite care for caregivers, prescription pickup or company to medical appointments • Concierge services
Meals on Wheels Central Texas relies on volunteers to help deliver daily meals. (Courtesy Meals on Wheels Central Texas)
Meals on Wheels helps Central Texans age with dignity For over half a decade, Meals on Wheels Central Texas has been supporting seniors and function- ally homebound Texans to remain in their homes for as long as possible.
SOURCE: MEALS ON WHEELS CENTRAL TEXAS COMMUNITY IMPACT
scope of its services over the past 52 years. MOWCTX also provides daily social connection and community. Assessing the need A 2024 presentation by the Texas Demographic Center showed that the population 65 and older grew approximately ve times faster than the total U.S. population. “We do not have the infrastructure in place and don’t have the time to build an entire aging network from scratch,” Van de Putte said. MOWCTX services support the elderly pop- ulation, but a lack of government funding has put pressure on the organization. Over the past three years, there has been a de facto 35% cut in
government funding, according to Van de Putte. Additionally, the recent federal government shutdown, which lasted 43 days, resulted in administrative delays. MOWCTX is partially funded by federal and state reimbursement grants, meaning the organization spends money that is later repaid by the government. Van de Putte said any delays in reimbursements are “really hard to deal with.” Quote of note “As we enter the holiday season, ... a lot of the people we serve have outlived a lot of their family and friends,” Van de Putte said. “And so, please don’t forget about those who have no one.”
From meal delivery to home repairs, the nonpro t conducts various e orts in the Greater Austin area. “Our mission is to help those who are aging or functionally homebound age in place,” MOWCTX CEO Henry Van de Putte said. “Because that’s the most digni ed way to live, and it’s the most economical way to live, and it’s the most humani- tarian way to live.” The big picture Founded in 1972 as a part of Meals on Wheels America, MOWCTX has grown the number and
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