Public commenter urges city help as Meals on Wheels program faces shortfall serving North Augusta seniors

At the Aug. 18 meeting a North Augusta resident urged the council to help address a funding shortfall at Aiken Senior Life Services that she said threatens daily meal delivery and wellness checks for seniors in the city.

"Every weekday, over 200 of our neighbors, half of which are right here in North Augusta, depend on a single hot meal and a wellness check," said Bridget Keener, a citizen volunteer who described coordinating with Aiken Senior Life Services. Keener said funding cuts to the agency mean a lifeline of meals and welfare checks will be at risk between mid-August and October unless emergency support is found.

Keener asked the city to consider emergency funding, partnerships, or other support to ensure that seniors do not lose daily meal delivery and welfare checks. She said Meals on Wheels would be short about 2,500 meals and that donations to date left a remaining funding gap reported as roughly $21,000 to $24,000 to cover the next six weeks. Keener invited council and residents to a town hall hosted by Aiken Senior Life Services set for Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where the agency will describe the funding gap and options.

Council members responded with expressions of concern and suggestions for non-financial assistance, including amplified outreach via the city website or community partners. No formal council action or city funding commitment was made during the meeting; staff and council members suggested helping publicize the agency's appeal and connecting the nonprofit to churches, radio stations, and other community networks.

Keener identified herself as a citizen volunteer and a member of the Aiken County Democratic Party; she said the issue was raised to her by an agency staffer. She urged the council to treat the issue as a matter of public health and safety, noting that some seniors rely on the meal delivery as their only daily human contact.