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Meals on Wheels asks Strafford County to maintain funding as costs rise; program cites 121,000 annual meals
Summary
Meals on Wheels told the subcommittee it serves about 1,400 Strafford County clients and delivers roughly 121,000 meals yearly and asked for level funding of $42,000 to cover the local share of operating gaps amid rising costs.
Meals on Wheels requested level funding from Strafford County to help close the gap between program expenses and revenue.
Katie, the program’s executive director, said the group serves about 1,400 county residents annually and provides roughly 121,000 meals each year — about 450 meals a day. She told the subcommittee state funding covers about 70% of Meals on Wheels’ expenses and fundraising, grants and small town contributions make up the rest; the county request of $42,000 would cover about 4,200 meals at an estimated cost of $10 per meal.
Committee members asked operational questions: Meals on Wheels does not own vehicles (staff drive personal cars and are reimbursed for mileage), has about 30 employees (mostly part‑time drivers averaging 10–15 hours a week) and reported roughly $1.386 million in cash and market instruments as a safety net built after earlier funding interruptions. The director said that reserve protects operations during interruptions (for example when state payments were delayed). She also described nonmeal services performed by drivers — safety and wellness checks — and said drivers are sometimes the only regular contact vulnerable clients have.
Committee members expressed routine oversight concerns about reserves and salaries; the director said the organization’s prior leadership deliberately built a safety net and that recent state funding pauses required use of operating cash in short bursts. The subcommittee thanked the presenter and moved to the next agenda item.
