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Gladstone Community Center warns home-delivered meals face funding squeeze
Summary
At a Sept. 16 advisory-board meeting, community center staff said cuts to a Clackamas County grant and accounting complications tied to Medicaid reimbursements are forcing program changes, including cutting weekend frozen meals and creating potential repayment obligations.
Michelle, community center staff, told the Gladstone Community Center Advisory Board on Sept. 16 that the center has reduced weekend frozen meals for homebound participants after a county grant that supplemented the program was cut and further reductions are projected.
The staff report said Clackamas County reduced a supplemental grant by about 30% for 2024–2026 and staff are planning for roughly a 20% funding decrease over the next two years. "We made a hard cut of weekend meals for homebound participants," Michelle said, adding the center mitigated immediate need by packing volunteer food boxes for weekends. She said the center expected to continue modifying operations as county funding plans become clearer.
Board members pressed staff on capacity and finances. Michelle said the program has grown from about 40 homebound meals in July to 45 in September and that roughly 13 of those clients are Medicaid recipients. She explained that Medicaid reimbursement is handled separately and at a higher per-meal rate—"instead of $2.25, it's $12.75"—which has created accounting complexities with grant funds and led in some cases to county reviews and required reconciliations. "We're actually in the position where we have to pay back the county," Michelle told the board, describing a recent meeting with county staff to work through the issue.
Roxanne McMullen and other board members praised staff for managing rising demand and asked whether the center could use general grant dollars to buy extra food; Michelle said grant money goes into the center's general fund but cannot be allocated directly to individual clients and that budgeting decisions guide how resources are used.
No formal policy change or board action was taken; the board asked staff to continue monitoring enrollment, fundraising and county conversations and to report back. The advisory board adjourned at 4:20 p.m.; its next meeting is set for Oct. 21, 2025.
