From Texas Public Radio:
There’s no guarantee that Congress will approve President Donald Trump’s budget proposal but it’s sending shockwaves through social service programs like Meals onWheels. Trump proposes eliminating money for community services block grants that help fund programs like Meals on Wheels. The program delivers 4,000 meals per day in Bexar County.
The food prep has ended for the day and volunteers are picking up the thousands of meals to be delivered for lunch.”
“On an average day we send out 158 routes via volunteers across Bexar County,” saysLauren Lewis, who manages volunteer services.
On Thursday, the Trump administration highlighted proposed cuts as part of its America First budget. One such cut could be to Community Services Block Grant. Meals on Wheels – San Antonio has a budget of $6 million. CEO Vinsen Faris says it receives about $300,000 from that pot of money.
“We’re talking about a full elimination of the community services black grant monies, and that’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to do a retraction in the number of meals that we have until we can really know where we are and what we’re doing going forward,” Faris says.
Faris says that retraction would only be if the cuts actually go through when the federal budget is approved. About $1.5 million comes from the federal government through other programs, some of that funding could be in danger as well.
