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Meals on Wheels asks Bridgeport for budget support as deliveries rise
Summary
Stan Schultz of the Wise County Committee on Aging told the Bridgeport City Council the Meals on Wheels program delivers more than 3,000 meals a month countywide, highlighted local need and asked the city to consider a contribution during upcoming budget decisions.
Stan Schultz, a board member of the Wise County Committee on Aging, told the Bridgeport City Council on an evening meeting that Meals on Wheels is making a growing request for municipal support as local need increases.
Schultz said the countywide program "we currently are delivering about over 3,000 meals a month," and that in 2024 the program helped "164 seniors here in Bridgeport," with "almost 50" Bridgeport residents receiving meals each day. He said funding cuts and rising need have reduced the program's meal package from one hot meal and six frozen meals to one hot meal and four frozen meals each week for recipients.
The presentation was made during the meeting's public comment period. Schultz described the program's operations and volunteer base, and he asked the council to consider adding support during the city's upcoming budget process. "We're just asking every community, please, when you're looking at your budgets, if you can find a few thousand, 5,000, 10,000, whatever money you can put into your budget to help us support that, we would very, very much appreciate that," he said. Schultz also said program leaders project "a $300,000 deficit, somewhere like that" for the coming year.
Schultz gave additional figures and logistics: the program relies heavily on volunteers and a small number of paid staff; an individual meal costs about $8.85; city staff time and volunteer labor are part of the program's noncash contribution. He encouraged council members to visit the program's kitchen in Chico and described the service as both food delivery and social contact for homebound seniors.
Council members asked about volunteer recruitment and contact methods; Schultz said the Wise County Committee on Aging website lists volunteer and donation options and offered to provide contact information. The council did not take formal action on the request at the meeting.
Community-level significance: the presentation came during budget season, when council members said they are finalizing FY2025–26 budgets. Council members did not commit funds at the meeting; any appropriation would follow the council's budget process.
