By Loretta Fulton

“It remains to be seen,” is the way Ronnie Kidd put it.

Betty Bradley is relieved for now but waiting to see what happens next.

The reactions came after the federal budget bill was signed into law July 4, affecting local feeding programs like Kidd’s Food Bank of West Central Texas and Bradley’s Meals on Wheels Plus. 

Bradley said it appears that Title XX funding, which provides federal money for Meals on Wheels programs, is safe for now. However, she added that deep cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps as the program was formerly known, will drive up the number of people who rely on Meals on Wheels for a daily meal. 

“We expect the number of requests to increase significantly as the elderly and younger adults with disabilities deal with the cuts to Medicaid and food stamps,” she said. 

Betty Bradley

Meals on Wheels has received $1.9 million annually from a Social Services Block Grant and Bradley was concerned that could end. The grant covers a little over half of the agency’s $3.7 million annual budget. The remainder comes from fundraisers, donations, and payments that some meals recipients make. 

“At least with Title XX funding safe, we are in a much better position to help the most needy,” Bradley said. “There remains a great need for contributions from the communities we serve as Title XX only funds about half of our budget.”

The Food Bank of West Central Texas, which Kidd leads as president and chief operating officer, relies on two sources of federal funding–the farm bill and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The farm bill includes funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides some of the money that food banks rely on. 

Ronnie Kidd

The new bill passed by Congress on July 3 and signed into law on July 4 includes cuts to SNAP and new eligibility requirements. Kidd said those cuts would have a negative impact on people served by food banks and increase the need for food assistance. 

Food banks do not receive funding from the SNAP program, but cuts to SNAP mean people will rely more on food banks and the agencies they provide food. 

“Bottom line is, the need for food assistance will increase and we will need to generate replacement funds,” Kidd said. 

Meals on Wheels Plus in Abilene is a part of Meals on Wheels America, an advocacy association. The Food Bank of West Texas Texas is part of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. The heads of both those agencies issued statements denouncing the passage of the bill, officially known as H.R. 1, and warning of the consequences. 

Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander said the bill’s passage jeopardizes the health and well-being of millions of seniors. 

“Historic cuts and damaging policy changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will worsen senior hunger and hardship while placing even greater strain on community-based Meals on Wheels providers that are already operating on razor-thin margins,” she said in a news release.

Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, noted the effect on Texans who rely on food aid. She noted that the bill would slash an estimated $186 billion from SNAP nationwide. 

“In Texas, the consequences will be severe. The state will be forced to absorb an estimated $806 million annually in new SNAP obligations, placing an untenable strain on our budget and threatening the food security of millions of Texans.”

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene