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Meals on Wheels reports 33,207 hot meals in 2024, urges continued county support
Summary
Amador Senior Center executive director Chris Kelton told the board Meals on Wheels delivered 33,207 hot meals in 2024, cited rising costs and requested supervisors keep county funding in place to sustain daily deliveries and welfare checks for homebound older residents.
Chris Kelton, executive director of the Amador Senior Center, told the Board of Supervisors the county‑supported Meals on Wheels program delivered 33,207 hot meals during calendar year 2024 and provided daily welfare checks that program staff and volunteers say are often the highlight of clients’ day.
Kelton said the program relies largely on funding that flows from the California Department of Aging through the Area 12 Agency on Aging and also receives a county contribution. The center asks a voluntary $5 participant contribution per meal but does not refuse service for inability to pay.
Program highlights Kelton described include a pet support component (food and limited veterinary assistance), a non‑emergency medical transportation pilot launched in September that serves appointments within Amador County, and a friendly visitors program that pairs volunteers for deeper social contact. The program reported 833 volunteer hours in 2024; Kelton supplied a conservative valuation of volunteer time at $16 per hour when computing in‑kind value.
Kelton said a January survey found many clients attribute increased reliance on the program to higher costs in the wider economy. The center also restarted a congregate meal site in Plymouth in October 2024 and continues daily service in Jackson.
Public comment: residents praised the program and urged supervisors to defend federal and state funding streams that support it. Mike Jones, who had circulated a list of nonprofits potentially affected by federal budget cuts, called Meals on Wheels “a perfect example” of a program serving vulnerable residents.
No action was requested or taken at the meeting; Kelton invited supervisors to visit the center for lunch and offered to meet individually to review services and needs.
Ending: Kelton left contact information and asked the board to consider the program’s role when reviewing county budget priorities.
