CHAFFEE, Mo. (KFVS) -A senior center that provides daily meals and wellness checks to hundreds of residents is at risk of shutting down after funding cuts from the state of Missouri.
The Chaffee Senior Center had its budget slashed as part of a $678,000 statewide reduction in nutrition funding, according to administrator Susan Pobst.
“We’ve had some pretty lean years where we’ve really had to make some major cuts, but this is the worst,” Pobst said.
The center serves as more than a gathering place where seniors share meals and socialize. Pobst said it operates as a lifeline in the community, offering daily meal delivery and wellness checks for those who cannot leave their homes.
“They depend on us so that they see someone, and so that they get a meal. Some of them don’t have anyone else, and it’s emotional for us because we get so close to these people, and our drivers get so close to these people. If they’re not there, we check them out and find out what’s going on,” Pobst said.
Board president and delivery driver Billie Davis said the delivery service has a major impact on seniors in the community. Without it, hundreds of seniors would be forced to move to nursing homes, which many cannot afford.
“We might be the only person they see that day. You know, when we deliver a meal, it might be the only meal, and it might be the only person that they see until the next day when we give them a meal. They just need us,” Davis said.
Seniors at the center said they are most concerned about homebound residents who would be left without a way to get food.
“A lot of people are going to go hungry. That’s all there is to it. I mean, especially the people that they deliver to. They’re counting on them to bring them their food. It’s the only meal they get a lot of times,” one person said.
Pobest said that despite the budget constraints, the center will do as much as it can to stay open.
“Support your senior centers. I don’t care if it’s in Chaffee. Cape has one, Scott City has one. Jackson has one. There are 28 centers in the southeast Missouri area. Support your senior centers, help them.” Pobest said.
For a list of senior centers in southeast Missouri, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website.
For help finding resources for older Missourians through Aging Matters, visit their website here.
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