Project Bread meal sites in Salem and Centralia have temporarily shut down due to a lack of federal funding.
The Executive Director of the Community Action Agency BCMW Jessica Backs says the difficult decision comes due to reserve funding being exhausted and not receiving any US Department of Aging funding since July to pay for the program.
Backs and the Midland Area Agency on Aging which has the contract with BCMW to provide the services say they are committed to reopening as soon as possible. The closure not only affects those who come to the Meal Sites, but also have meals delivered to their homes. Until the issue is resolved, the ten fulltime employees of Project Bread, five apiece in Salem and Centralia, have been laid off.
Backs says frozen meals were provided for the week of November 4th through the 8th. Unfortunately, BCMW does not have the reserve meals to provide to seniors after the week ending November 8th.
State Representative Charlie Meier, a former BCMW Board Member, has been helping to try and get the funding flowing again.
“I’ve been on the phone with a lot of different agencies and a lot of different people. This is strictly because the federal government is not paying them. I don’t know if they don’t have the money to pay them. I’m not sure how much is in the US Treasury. I do know for a fact they have not released money for four months. They cannot expect a not-for-profit agency to run a service when they have not received a payment for months.
Meier is receiving help from US Senators and Congressmen in trying to get funding flowing again.
“Hopefully we will get something done. We are talking back and forth with them trying to find their best avenue. This is happening across the State of Illinois, not just here at BCMW. We will work and try and get it fixed and try to get our finger on why this has been allowed to happen.”
Backs says the monthly operational costs for the program range from $50,000 to $60,000 per month. In September, there were 1,403 congregate meals served and 3,564 home-delivered meals.
Backs notes the meal centers have been a lifeline for so many seniors, providing not just nourishment but companionship and support. For many, Backs says this could be the only socialization they experience and for the home delivery recipients, it represents their only meal of the day. She says the thought of closing the doors, even temporarily weighs heavily on them.
Backs also addressed the timing of the decision to suspend operations. She said unfortunately, she was just informed on Wednesday that they would not be receiving the anticipated funds, leaving less than 24 hours to devise a response and communicate it to the public.
