Wasn’t questioning any of that...but I don’t understand how ~$2700/250 days works out to ~$11 per meal. Is there only one meal provided per day?
Ultimately, my gripe is not with the cost of the meals, but rather that the feds are providing meals at all. Should be provided 100% by private donations/charity, with perhaps some state involvement to assist in organization.
It depends on the service. For example, some provide one hot lunch and then an optional cold supper.
My relative is mentally disabled. So once she got it in her head that they were out to get her...we had to try other things because she has trouble cooking for herself. Some areas have Senior Centers where you can go eat for a suggested pay.
You can get a bus service in some areas that will come to your door if you are disabled and take you where you want to go.
Yes, just one meal per day. Monday through Friday. You’re on your own for the weekend. Usually a meat, two veggies and bread in a Styrofoam covered meal tray. Sometimes a piece of cake or cobbler. Sometimes unsweetened tea or a little school sized milk carton. As was posted above, lots of greens and beans.
Many come into the facilities to eat. Their guests eat for free, too.
I think everyone is missing three central points.
1. This Meals on Wheels program is not a federal or state run program. It is purely a private volunteer situation. As far as I can see, you can’t find anyone in charge at the national or state level. When you do find leadership, it’s purely at the local level.
2. This massive grant given out to the states...allows them to parcel it up and break it down to different organizations. You could have a Meals on Wheels operation in a city of 100,000 getting $100,000 a year for their grant, and in another state....similar sized city which gets $150,000. It’s only because each wrote up their requirement and asked for a particular amount. There is no math to show any equalization.
3. There is no regulations existing within any state or federal gov’t that I know of over Meals on Wheels. Shocking in a way....an operation has managed to grow and be this sized and totally avoid stupid regulations.
Finally, just an observation. Years ago in my military years, I had to sit in a meeting where the wing commander had some episode brew up with the base chow hall. The budget for the chow hall at the time came out to roughly $3.50 a day for each barracks resident. The chow hall had free labor, and all the food bought was tax-free...so this was all very similar in nature to Meals on Wheels. To make it through the last three months of a budget period, the chow hall needed another $100,000 out of thin air to cover their costs. Wing commander didn’t have the money. So they fed everyone for lunch and dinner for that 90-day period mostly chicken. It reached a point half-way through this period that people just stopped going to the chow-hall and bought lunch or dinner out of their own pocket.