27 January 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Meals on Wheels in Wichita is feeling the effects of increased demand for their services.
Right now, Meals on Wheels can only serve 800 people, and they’ve been capped at that limit since the pandemic started. They do have a waiting list which has around 350 people. The organization started the waiting list back in June and does not take anyone off the list.
When the non-profit has an open spot, it looks at who is on the waiting list and makes the decision based on the specific circumstances.
“As people come off, we add on, but we also prioritize. So people 90 or older may move up the list. People suffering from cancer and other chronic and debilitating diseases. So we kind of look at that and try to prioritize those most in need,” Senior Services Executive Director Laurel Alkire said.
Alkire went on to say that many times, when they do go back to the waiting list, people have found other resources to fill their needs, like family, friends, or other organizations.
The non-profit relies on the community for donations to help fill in the gaps from other government sources. Alkire says the need for resources continues to grow, but the funding does not.
“Feeding people is an expensive endeavor. It’s costing us between 70,000 and 80,000 a month on food and supplies,” said Alkire. “It all comes down to the budget, and this is what we’ve got to spend, and then we look at the donations and use a lot of that.”
The organization says they are fully staffed within their kitchen which allows for them to do around 70 routes a day.