WASHINGTON 鈥� White House budget director Mick Mulvaney鈥檚 comments about Meals on Wheels 鈥渏ust not showing any results鈥� hit Stephanie Archer-Smith particularly hard.
鈥淚t鈥檚 infuriating, frankly,鈥� said Archer-Smith, the executive director of Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.
The organization provides meals daily to more than 3,000 seniors in that region.
Programs in D.C. and Virginia 聽around 6,900 and聽24,000 seniors, respectively.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more than hurtful,鈥� she added, 鈥渂ecause we stand by the work that we do and see firsthand the impact that it has.鈥�
Mulvaney made the comments during a news conference about President Donald Trump鈥檚 proposed $1.15 trillion budget, which aims to boost military spending as well as provide funding for a wall along the Mexican border.
Funding for programs like Meals on Wheels would be cut, if not eliminated.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just under a $9 million budget,” Archer-Smith said of the Central Maryland program, “and when you cut several thousand dollars from that, it means that people aren鈥檛 served and that meals aren鈥檛 being delivered.鈥�
鈥淔or every $8 that we lose, that鈥檚 one more person, one more day, that hasn鈥檛 been served a meal.鈥�
Meals on Wheels’聽benefits to the vulnerable, she said, go beyond delivered food. The volunteers who deliver those meals are trained to notice changes in a client鈥檚 demeanor and other聽red flags聽during a wellness check.
Discovering聽larger problems, she said, can lead to early intervention so seniors get connected to other services they need.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing this work for more than 60 years, and we have very personal stories that we can share of the difference that we鈥檝e made in people鈥檚 lives,鈥澛燗rcher-Smith said.
Researchers back up that anecdotal evidence.
According to 聽of 鈥渟cientific evidence on the impact of home-delivered meal services on diet and nutrition among recipients,鈥� the benefits were conclusive.
Such programs, the authors wrote, 鈥渟ignificantly improve diet quality, increase nutrient intakes, and reduce food insecurity and nutritional risk among participants.
鈥淥ther beneficial outcomes include increased socialization opportunities, improvement in dietary adherence, and higher quality of life,鈥� they added.
And 聽authored by Dr. Kali Thomas, a public health researcher at Brown University found that home-delivered meals provide health and psychological benefits to seniors in addition to basic nutrition.
Earlier research by Thomas has also shown: 1) States that invest more in delivering meals to seniors鈥� homes 聽of 鈥渓ow-care鈥� seniors in nursing homes; and 2) Expanding such programs , saving 26 states money.
Such research, Archer-Smith said, “shows the significant impact of not just the meals but the unique formula of providing those meals daily with the personal contact and safety and wellness check that goes along with the service,鈥� she said.
