Press Releases
Dingell Delivers Meals on Wheels in Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, MI,
April 18, 2017
U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today worked alongside Meals on Wheels volunteers to deliver hot meals to Ypsilanti residents. "As we learned today while delivering meals, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels is the only way that some seniors are able to eat and live independent lives." said Dingell. “Some seniors we saw today used to live on the street, and now receive two nutritious meals a day through the program. Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal to homebound seniors in Michigan and across the country, it is survival, a real conversation with someone who cares, and in some cases the only conversation had during the day. Meals on Wheels is a win-win for our communities, and I am committed to protecting funding for this vital program that Michigan seniors rely upon.” “For many seniors, the program is the only way they can afford to eat,” she continued. “10,000 people are turning 65 every single day, and we have to make sure they are going to be taken care of.” President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal calls for cuts to various federal programs including the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant program, which provides funding to Meals on Wheels programs nationwide. In Michigan, Meals on Wheels delivers more than 9,998,000 meals each year to homebound persons 60 years or older, or adults with disabilities, who are unable to shop or prepare meals for themselves. Dingell today learned that grants allowed Ypsilanti’s program to eliminate their waitlist in May 2014 so that no senior waits for a meal. Meals on Wheels estimates that providing a year of meals to one senior costs the same as a one day stay in the hospital. With seniors living longer, healthier lives, one of Dingell’s top priorities is improving the country’s long-term care system to ensure seniors can live independently with the highest quality of life for the longest time possible. Programs like Meals on Wheels that allow seniors to age with dignity in their own homes are critical to that effort. |