By Jackson Swearer
Sitting down and sharing a meal is a treasure. Opportunities for neighbors to come together should be preserved, but many seem to be at risk.
Earlier in June, funding was canceled for senior meals that had been delivered through Everfull, formerly Aging Projects. This created uncertainty. How would Meals on Wheels and Friendship Meals continue in the region?
South Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging offered reassurance that they would “minimize disruption” of the programs.
However, as of Friday, it was not clear how funding would be reallocated, or where meals would take place. SCKAAA had not made public the details of their plans after July 1.
There are some other questions remaining. Why did SCKAAA choose to terminate their contract with Everfull at this specific time?
I am not taking sides between SCKAAA and Everfull, especially without all the information. Moreover, I do not see any benefit in placing blame.
I will say it is a shame that conflict between organizations with similar missions is harming the people they hope to serve.
Sometimes it is easy to read these stories and think only about the money. Who gets it? How much? What do they spend it on?
What gets lost when we focus on the funding is the impact that these programs have on real people. I appreciated that Adam Stewart’s original reporting on the topic included interviews with participants in Friendship Meals about what it meant to them.
On its face, this is a story about nonprofit organizations, but at the heart of the story is sharing food with neighbors.
Friendship Meals are a place for connection. For some, they are one of few opportunities for genuine human interaction. Meals on Wheels connects people delivering meals to program participants.
Let us not lose sight of the real reason why these programs exist. We have people in our community who are hungry, not only for food, but also for connection.
I hope that those making funding decisions about programs for our most vulnerable neighbors remember that.