Amid a federal government shutdown that has disrupted food benefits, two local nonprofits are joining forces to help homebound seniors access both meals and grocery delivery.
Community Bridges, which operates the Meals on Wheels program for Santa Cruz County, and Grey Bears, a nonprofit that provides services to older residents, are coming together to help vulnerable seniors with meals from the Meals on Wheels program and provide them with access at no cost to Grey Bears’ Healthy Food Program, which delivers bags of groceries.
Through the project, called Delivering More Together: Complete Nutrition for Santa Cruz County Seniors, eligible Meals on Wheels participants will be automatically enrolled in Grey Bears’ Healthy Food Program, which delivers weekly grocery bags with fresh produce, with the option of being delivered directly to seniors’ homes or at their local distribution site.
A regular membership to Grey Bears’ Healthy Food Program cost $50 a year, but Meals on Wheels participants who opt into the Delivering More Together program can receive their groceries for free, courtesy of Community Bridges.
Recent changes to federal rules for those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which includes CalFresh — will make it harder for older adults to qualify for aid, the nonprofits said in a statement; by increasing the age limit for “able-bodied adults without dependents” from 55 to 64, it reduces the number of allowable exemptions.
The government shutdown, which has been going on for more than a month, has also delayed food aid benefits through the state’s CalFresh program, significantly affecting seniors.
Donations fully fund the initiative. Community Bridges’ Meals on Wheels program will cover the enrollment cost for participants joining through this partnership.
“By joining forces we’re making it easier for seniors—and the families who care about them—to know that their loved ones have what they need to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives,” said Dana Wagner, senior program director of Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County. “It’s one less worry for them, and a huge step toward making our community stronger and more connected.”
Residents may apply here for the Meals on Wheels program.
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FOR THE RECORD: This story was updated to clarify that groceries are free for Meals on Wheels participants who opt into the Delivering More Together partnership between Community Bridges and Grey Bears. A standard Grey Bears’ membership cost $50 a year for the Healthy Food Program.
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