There are two groups of people that everyone recognizes as often vulnerable and dependent on others: the very young and the elderly. Without help from others, these groups often suffer. These are also two groups that our culture, (at least pretends), to hold in high regard. We revere our Grandparents and our ancestry. We also know no other joy like a new baby or a young child. One of these groups has been the subject of much concern in our county over the last week: the elderly.
The issue at hand is a lack of funding to support the Senior Citizens’ Meal Program, which provides warm meals to a large number of senior citizens. Jackson County Seniors will feel this impact. The two programs that help with this issue are referred to as “Meals on Wheels” and “Mom’s Meals”.
The Jackson County Sun has received and monitored a number of desperate pleas from members of our community regarding the urgency of this matter. For example, on Monday morning, we received a call from Catherine Watkins-Williams. Mrs. Williams told us, "My husband (John A. Williams, Jr.) and I have been receiving Meals on Wheels for several years. I am 73 years old, and he is 72. We both have multiple medical situations, and we do not own a vehicle. We are in shock, as we don't know how we will find a way to supplement our limited food resources without Meals on Wheels. We are deeply concerned, not only for ourselves but for neighbors who have also received this service. For some of them, that meal delivery is the only hot meal they will get in a day." Of course, this is only one of several concerned comments received or monitored.
Annette Deaton, Director of Operations at the Jackson County Senior Citizens Center, is on the frontline of the dilemma. On September 29, 2025, Deaton sent a letter to 125 Seniors in Jackson County who participate in the Senior Citizen Meal Program. The letter states that, “After receiving a MEMO from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Department for Aging and Independent Living, stating that COVID-19 federal dollars, as well as other awarded state dollars, will end effective September 30th, 2025. Due to this loss of funding and other federal policy changes, we will not have the funding required to continue providing Hot Home delivered and Moms Meals services to our Seniors in Jackson County. This letter comes with great devastation as we will no longer have the funding to continue serving the seniors of Jackson County with Hot Home Delivered and Mom's Meals after September 30th, 2025. This means 125 Seniors are losing 2000 meals per month as of September 30th!”
However, Deaton did state that the Senior Citizens Center will remain open to onsite congregate services with limited funding while implementing a meal reservation system for the Seniors that have lost meal services. Deaton wrote, “Hopefully, this will get us through until other funding or our new 2026 fiscal year funding becomes available.”
In order to address the problem of funding, one must understand how it has been maintained. The two primary funding sources for the program are the Federal and State governments. During COVID the federal funding for the Senior Citizen’s Meals Program was expanded to help keep seniors (one of the most at-risk groups with COVID) healthy. However, the Federal budget eliminates this COVID funding on September 30, 2025. This essentially represents a return to pre-COVID funding levels and waitlists after a historic period of growth over the last several years.
State Governmental Funding
In the last budget session, the state legislature initially considered funding the program with $14.5 million. However, because Federal COVID funding was still available at the time, the State Legislators settled on a funding level of $10 million. Now that Federal COVID funding has expired, the $10 million funding level isn’t enough. Citing this expected state budget shortfall, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration informed area development districts that distribute senior nutrition support on September 08, 2025, the State would not be able to maintain higher funding levels. The Sept. 8 letter means that across the state roughly 5,000 Kentuckians will likely be put on a waitlist for meal deliveries and more than 1,600 people will no longer be able to participate in congregate meals statewide, based on preliminary estimates.
In a letter to the development districts, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services said whatever state and federal funds the agency had received on June 30, 2025 would be their last for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends next June.
While those in state government are sympathetic to the issue, this budget issue cannot be addressed until the next legislative session, which will be in January 2026.
County Government’s Role
What is the role of the County government in the matter? Judge Gabbard clarified the role of County government regarding the funding in his Judge’s report this week. Judge Gabbard reported, “First, let me explain how the program operates in the State. Money for senior meals comes from the Kentucky Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL). Funding does not come directly from the State to Senior Centers, but it is sent to each Area Development District that serves their respective County. Jackson County is served by the Cumberland Valley Area Development District in London. The CVADD has an Area of Aging Director who handles this particular part of the program. The Senior Center turns in invoices each month for meals provided to the Development District for reimbursement. The CVADD fronts those funds and then submits them to the KY DAIL for reimbursement.
Funds for the Senior Nutrition Program come through State and Federal Dollars. State Legislature receives request from DAIL for program support during budget sessions in Frankfort. Several weeks ago, we received notice from CVADD that funds were almost depleted due to the Federal COVID money running out. The funds that DAIL requested from the State are not enough to cover the number of Senior meals going out in communities throughout the State. Below is information the CVADD shared with us from an email received from DAIL.
"The record-setting funding for this program expansion was supported by one-time federal COVID-19 dollars that expire on September 30, 2025, as well as an additional budget request awarded in the enacted 2024-2026 state biennial budget. Due to reduced federal funding and other recent federal policy changes, fewer dollars will be available and more responsibility will be shifted to states. As a result of this reduction in funding, the financial allocations your agency received on June 30, 2025, to operate the senior meal program will be the only federal and state funding available to your agency this state fiscal year."
In short there are more meals going out to Seniors than money to pay for. Covid funding has ended and the responsibility of paying for senior meals has been expended. So what happens next? The Jackson County Senior Center will remain open and does have enough funding to provide in-person meals for Seniors who able to come and eat on site. At this time they have informed us there is not enough money to continue the Meals on Wheels program delivering meals to residents. The Fiscal Court does not operate the Senior Citizens Center and has no employees there. We do own the building and provide support financially as we can. The Jackson County Fiscal Court has called a special meeting to see if we can offer any additional support until the issues are resolved on a State Level. I encourage citizens that have family members affected by this change in services to call (833-372-0004) and speak with someone directly at DAIL.”
In this special meeting held on Tuesday, September 30th, the Jackson County Fiscal Court considered helping alleviate the problem for October, November, and December (the time until the next State Legislative session). Judge Gabbard informed the Magistrates that he had coordinated with the Jackson County Senior Citizen Center Director and obtained a cost estimate to maintain delivery of “Hot Meals” to the seniors who participate in the program. While the Fiscal Court doesn’t have a role in the day-to-day administration of the program or any responsibility for the program’s routine funding, it often provides support to various programs within the county. They do this through LGEA (Local Government Economic Assistance) funding, which is received quarterly through a mineral severance tax. Judge Gabbard informed the fiscal court that, based on his coordination, it would require $18,000 to maintain the delivery of Hot Meals through the three months of 2025. The fiscal court agreed to provide this funding and approved $18,000 in support.
All agencies involved seem sympathetic to the issue but offer limited solutions.
“The Area Development Districts remain committed to serving Kentucky’s seniors to the greatest extent possible,” the executive directors of Kentucky’s 15 districts said in a joint statement. “While each district’s situation may differ, we are united in our goal to keep older Kentuckians informed and supported as changes are finalized.”
Scottie Ellis, a spokesperson for Beshear, said in a statement that the governor is “committed to fighting hunger” and pointed to historic increases in funding toward senior meals. But she said a potential $300 million shortfall required budget reductions.
“Kentucky law requires that the commonwealth operate on a balanced budget, which the Governor has done by creating a fiscally responsible administration,” Ellis said. “It is incumbent upon all agencies to plan and work within the dollars available.”
To combat hunger in seniors during the pandemic, Beshear used pandemic funds to eliminate a waitlist for about 7,000 meals. Once those funds were exhausted, the administration designated $36.2 million to continue to fill the gap through the following two years.
Advocates have long feared the impending budget cliff as federal COVID-19 funding runs out. Beshear has attributed the $300 million deficit to the impact on tariffs on Kentucky’s economy and top industries.
The state cabinet recommended that, going forward, development districts prioritize older adults with higher nutritional needs, end drive-through meal services and reduce the number of “shelf stable or emergency meals” the programs give to Kentucky seniors.
KIPDA Director of Social Services Jessica Elkin said the organization is in the process of deciding how they will prioritize seniors. She said they will likely consider factors like age, level of need and rurality.
“We want to make sure that we're looking at them equitably across the region, because they have even less access to food,” Elkin said. “They have less access to food resource banks and ministries and things like that — alternate ways to get food.”
Non-governmental Funding Options
Of course, government funding isn’t the only option for providing help. The general public, churches, organizations, and businesses will inevitably be called upon to help solve the problem. For example, the Daniel Boone Community Action Agency has donated a van to the Senior Citizen Center for use in the delivery of Hot Meals. While the Meals on Wheels drivers had to be laid off, Mrs. Deaton indicated that she would deliver the meals using the donated van.
Deaton reached out to the general public by posting an urgent request for help on social media saying, “Friends and family I ask you again! Please consider donating for this good cause! This could be your parents, grandparents, other family members that are losing their meals. I have over 2,000 friends and family on social media and I have set up this go fund me page to help keep meals for our elderly. If each person just donated $5 it would make a big affect! I challenge each of you whether its on gofundme or by mail or dropped off at the Jackson County Bank to donate! Every dollar whether it’s $10 or $20 will help go toward a hot meal for an elderly person. No amount is too small and all is appreciated! Let’s pray, share, and help spread the word for our elderly and get this out across social media and our community. There are also other ways to make donations if you’ll read my previous fb post they are listed on there, for those that don’t do social media or gofund me!
“Save Senior Meals in Jackson County” (organized by Annette Deaton, Director of Operations at Jackson County Senior Center, Inc.) can be accessed through Facebook. If one wishes to mail a check or hand deliver donations here is the location:
JACKSON COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
PO BOX 126
1035 McCAMMON RIDGE ROAD
MCKEE, KY 40447
Mrs. Deaton provided the Jackson County Sun with the following statement after the Fiscal Court had approved funds to support the Hot Meals Delivery program for Jackson County Senior participants:
“The Jackson County Senior Center will continue to operate as funding will allow. According to the CVADD and Dail, all elderly seniors that lost a hot meal are to be placed on a waiting list and prioritized based on their nutritional risk assessment and their location. Which we are in the process of doing now to be prepared for any additional funding from the state. The Jackson County Senior Center will continue to use every resource, our local community and all donations as they become available, to serve as many elderly seniors as we possibly can. With the help from the Jackson County Fiscal Court and a donation of a vehicle from the Daniel Boone Transit, we are optimistic that we will be able to get these closed meals back to these elderly seniors as soon as possible.”
Annette Deaton, Director
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