Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House veterans committee lays over bill to fund Metro Meals on Wheels veterans program
Summary
The House Veterans and Military Affairs Division laid over House File 3005, which would appropriate $995,540 in the 2026–27 biennium to continue a Metro Meals on Wheels program serving veterans in the Twin Cities after federal senior nutrition cuts reduced capacity.
The House Veterans and Military Affairs Division on April 2 laid over House File 3005, a bill to continue funding a veteran‑specific program run by Metro Meals on Wheels that delivers tailored meals to Minnesota veterans. Representative Zack Godfrey introduced the bill and asked the committee to appropriate $995,540 from the veterans budget for the 2026–27 biennium.
The appropriation would continue a pilot program Metro Meals on Wheels launched after a 2023 legislative pilot. Pat Rowan, executive director of Metro Meals on Wheels, told the committee the program has served “over 28,000 meals to 100 and, and currently serve 182 individuals a day.” She said federal cuts to senior nutrition funds produced roughly a 12% reduction for Metro Meals on Wheels and strained its ability to serve clients.
"We understand that you have to make tough decisions over the next several weeks, but I urge you to think of our older adults who have served who are now facing the challenge of increased costs for housing, health care, and food," Rowan said.
Veteran Carter Drake described the service as a daily structure and social connection: "The meals are nutritious... it's given my life some structure as far as I expect my meals between 11 and 11:30." Drake testified he found the program personally “a blessing.”
Vice Chair Olsen questioned how the program prevents supplanting—using veteran‑targeted funds to replace existing resources rather than expand service. Rowan said the program has seen a 60% increase in demand since the pandemic and that, under Metro Meals’ contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the veterans fund operates as a last resort: if a recipient is eligible for other funds, those are used first.
Chair Jeong moved to lay the bill over for possible inclusion; the motion was renewed later in the hearing and the bill was laid over by the committee for further consideration.
If enacted as requested, the appropriation would continue the targeted, diet‑sensitive daily meal delivery that Metro Meals on Wheels and its volunteers provide to veterans who demonstrate food insecurity or have health conditions that limit independent food access.
