Lack of federal funding threatens Meals on Wheels’ future for elderly residents

By Ed Pierce

If adopted, the federal government’s drastic proposal to slash social programs could radically affect some of the most vulnerable residents of Windham and Raymond.

Federal funding for the Meals on Wheels program
nationwide could be eliminated if Congress
passes the 'Big Beautiful Bill' as currently
proposed. The Meals on Wheels program is a
lifeline for many aging, elderly and homebound
residents of Windham and Raymond.
FILE PHOTO 

Currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” would severely cut federal spending for successful programs in Maine such as Meals on Wheels, the Through These Doors Domestic Violence Resource Center, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland's Critical Home Repair Program, through the elimination of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

Ashley Perrone, Community Impact Director for the Southern Maine Agency of Aging which administers Meals on Wheels for Cumberland and York counties, said the program is a lifeline for elderly and homebound residents.

Perrone said that Meals on Wheels has been operating in Maine since 1965 and currently provides 1,000 meals to aging and elderly Mainers every day at an annual cost of $2 million. SMAA has administered the program since 1973 and uses volunteers to deliver meals.

“We speak about how beneficial Meals on Wheels is from a nutritional basis, but social isolation is just as deadly as smoking a half pack of cigarettes a day,” Perrone said. “Besides food, Meals on Wheels is a social connection for adults and caregivers here in Maine.”

Established under the auspices of the Older Mainers Act by the Maine Legislature, the intent of Meals on Wheels has always been key to combating senior adult food insecurity and social isolation since its launch six decades ago.

During the past year, SMAA’s Meals on Wheels program delivered 114,663 meals to 888 clients at their homes in FY 2024, plus an additional 6,114 meals to 936 clients at congregate meal sites.

Along with funding from the federal government, Perrone said about 50 percent of Meals on Wheel funding comes from the state of Maine. SMAA is one of six agencies overseeing community Meals on Wheels programs in the state.

The Through These Doors (TTD) Domestic Violence Resource Center in Maine offers free and confidential advocacy and support services to about 3,000 domestic violence victims in Maine each year through phone calls, face-to-face meetings, or through court proceedings. Each year, the center answers 8,000-plus helpline calls, meets with people face-to-face more than 5,000-plus times, supports more than 1,000 individuals through court proceedings, and shelters nearly 135 people every day, including more than 45 children.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland's Critical Home Repair Program works with homeowners to make needed health and safety repairs to their homes at an affordable cost such as roof replacement, accessibility modifications, structural repairs and repairs to unsafe mechanical systems. The organization has completed about 11 projects this fiscal year and expects to finish another 32 projects in the next 12 to 18 months.

Meals on Wheels, Through These Doors Domestic Violence Resource Center, and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland's Critical Home Repair Program are recipients of funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

In the last two decades alone, CDBG funds in Maine have created or retained nearly 5,800 jobs for Mainers, assisted more than 10,000 low-income households in the state, helped more than 71,000 Mainers through public improvement projects, and assisted about 1.5 million people across the state through public services.

In Windham, the Windham Town Council used CDBG funds to revitalize South Windham by installing new sidewalks on Gray Road and the expansion of a public parking lot for residents doing recreational activities and visiting local businesses in the area.

Windham Town Council Chair Jarrod Maxfield says losing Meals on Wheels and CDBG funding will be tough. 

"Both of these programs are extremely important for the wellbeing of many of our seniors in town. The loss of these programs could be devastating for some who rely on them for basic needs and services and finding replacements for them is not an easy option," Maxfield said. "Losing these programs should never be an option."

The federal government’s “Big Beautiful Bill” mandates the complete elimination of FY2026 funding for CDBG programs and suggests these programs should instead be funded by state and local governments.

Vicki Watson, executive director of the National Community Development Association, said without CDBG-funded programs, local communities will be overwhelmed and will find it difficult to fund such critical services.

“Thriving local economies and strong communities lay the foundation for a brighter, more prosperous future for everyone. For more than five decades, CDBG funding has been a lifeline for U.S. communities as it has created jobs, improved public infrastructure, and expanded affordable housing,” Watson said. “Asking cities, counties, and municipalities to shoulder the burden of funding these important programs, projects, and initiatives would ignore the scale of the need and the federal government’s responsibility to invest in equitable growth. Eliminating CDBG from the fiscal year 2026 budget could devastate local economies, including Maine's and would also erase hard-won progress, especially in the nation's rural and underserved areas.” <