Mike Ray, an Adult Day and Resource Center (ADRC) staff member who presented the agency’s annual report to the Wood County Board on Wednesday, said ADRC Central Wisconsin serves four counties and is facing a shortfall for its Meals on Wheels program.

Ray said the ADRC — a four-county intergovernmental program serving Wood, Marathon, Lincoln and Langlade counties — previously planned for a reduction of 40,000 meals in its Meals on Wheels budget for the region and has worked to identify other revenue sources to avoid program cuts.

That shortfall, Ray told supervisors, came amid rising demand and stagnant or reduced state support. "Our greatest need is in our meals on wheels. It's completely underfunded," he said during his presentation. Ray said the agency secured grants from local philanthropic sources to help bridge the gap, including awards from a regional community foundation and a United Way chapter, and is preparing a fund at a community foundation to accept donations.

Ray described ADRC services beyond nutrition — dementia-care support, caregiver assistance, fall-prevention programming and connections to transportation and other supports — and emphasized volunteers. "We have about 80 employees, and we have over 400 volunteers," he said, noting the program relies heavily on volunteers to deliver meals and services.

Supervisors asked specific questions about two operational pressures raised by Ray. Supervisor Brandy Wieser, a member of the county’s Health and Human Services Committee, pressed the ADRC on how it handled the recent closure of a congregate dining site at Cedar Rail apartments and whether the agency would adopt asset testing to better target meals to those in greatest need. Ray said some participants moved to Meals on Wheels and others now eat together in available community spaces; on means-testing, he said federal grant rules limit flexibility and that the agency is advocating at the state level for changes to funding allocation.

The board also questioned the cost of emergency "lift assists" when residents fall and EMS responds. Ray said a single billed lift assist could be about $420 and described coordinated prevention work with EMS and municipal leaders to reduce unnecessary ambulance responses.

Ray said the ADRC continues advocacy efforts with state legislators and plans to show elected officials the program firsthand, including inviting representatives to ride along with Meals on Wheels deliveries. He also said the agency compiled comparative data showing Wisconsin’s state-level support for nutrition programs lags neighboring states; Ray told supervisors the state provides $852,000 statewide for certain transportation-related senior programs, a figure he used to illustrate differences across states.

The presentation did not result in a formal board vote; supervisors thanked Ray and encouraged continued collaboration and advocacy to sustain services.