Sen. Lesser Advances Bill to Support Elderly Nutrition Program

Tonight State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee led passage of a bill implementing task force recommendations for the Elderly Nutrition Program.

“As the Chair of the Elderly Nutrition Task Force, I am pleased to lead the passage of this legislation that supports the wellbeing of our seniors,” said Sen. Lesser. “The funding available for senior nutrition, our Meals-on-Wheels program and our congregate sites, has fallen to levels not seen since before the Pandemic but the cost of food has not. That’s placing incredible pressure on our elderly nutrition service providers and on our vulnerable seniors. This bill will help stretch scarce dollars and connect seniors to more federal resources, and ensure that localities have a seat at the table. Our local providers do so much on tight budgets, and this additional support will ensure that essential services like Meals on Wheels and congregate meal services will continue for our most vulnerable residents. Our parents and grandparents took care of us – and it’s our job to make sure that not one senior in Connecticut goes hungry.”

Recently, nutrition providers have announced cuts to congregate site and Meals of Wheels service in Connecticut due to a reduction of federal funding under the Older Americans Act. The bill makes a number of changes to the operation of Connecticut’s elderly nutrition programs. Separately, the Department of Aging and Disability Services recently made available $500,000 of additional funding to CRT, a community action agency, to temporarily stave off threatened cuts to food service in the Hartford County region. Those cuts remain on the horizon with additional funding pressures looming.

Connecticut’s elderly nutrition programs are funded primarily by the federal government through the Older Americans Act, with funding passing through the State of Connecticut to area agencies on aging which administer programs locally.