Centralia, IL – State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) has been spending the few months working to find a solution after BCMW’s funding for senior home meal deliveries suddenly stopped. Providers across the state, including BCMW, which serves many area seniors, were forced to halt their Meals on Wheels programs. This left thousands of seniors across the state without regularly delivered home meals.
Meier has worked with local, state, and federal agencies to find solutions and funding so that BCMW can resume their Meals on Wheels program. Although some short-term funding has been released, a long-term solution has not been found.
Meier took matters into his own hands and personally cooked 160 hot meals and delivered them to BCMW Community Services. Meier began cooking his feast at 5:00 am this morning, so the seniors will have a delicious, fresh homecooked meal. The meal contained pork chops, green beans, baked potato, fruit, and coleslaw. BCMW delivered these meals to seniors who have been without hot meal deliveries since November 1st.
“When I heard that this program was going to be halted, I couldn’t sit by and do nothing,” said Meier. “I’ve been working with the leaders at BCMW and throughout our communities to find a solution. When they asked me to provide a hot meal for one of their delivery days, I enthusiastically agreed to help.”
Rep. Meier delivered a meal to Lucille Knolhoff, a 97-year-old resident who stopped receiving her regularly delivered hot meals on November 1. “Since they stopped bringing by my meals, I have lost 20 pounds,” said Ms. Knolhoff. “I rely on these meals and would really like to see them come back. I used to get hot meals five days a week, and haven’t gotten anything in over a month.”
Springfield Republicans are also working on a legislative solution to ensure that organizations like BCMW across the state do not lose funding for these vital services. Meier is the chief co-sponsor of House Bill 5911, the “Feed our Seniors Act,” which would divert funding from migrant welcome centers to the Department on Aging for Meals on Wheels.
“There is no reason these people should not be getting the meals they deserve,” Meier continued. “We should be taking care of our own citizens first, but instead Illinois is spending billions of dollars on illegal migrants. Our seniors deserve to be fed. So many of them rely on Meals on Wheels, and we should be doing everything we can to make sure they have good, nutritious meals.”
