- The Sowega Council on Aging provides daily hot meals to 40 seniors in Thomas County and over 400 across 14 South Georgia counties, and leaders warn federal shutdown cuts could halt deliveries.
- Thomas County CARES is organizing volunteers and community feeds to ensure no elderly neighbor goes hungry if service stops.
- Watch the video below to see why this program is critical to our elderly neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
SNAP benefits aren't the only thing stopping November first, even the program that delivers hot meals to Thomasville's homebound seniors is running out of funding.
I'm checking how this shutdown is hitting elderly neighbors who can't cook or leave home for food.
"We've already received a letter from SOWEGA telling us that if the funding wasn't there by October 31st, which is today, that we may possibly be delayed meals, you know, maybe not be able to get them for a while. And we don't have to do anything until they find out what they can do with the funding. And if they don't have the funding, then, you know, that's cut out too," said Ellis.
Eula Ellis is 80 years old and relies on the senior meal delivery program.
She tells me that after her husband passed away, the program became her main source of support, helping her eat well and not feel so alone.
The Sowega Council on Aging delivers one meal a day, five days a week, to 40 seniors in Thomas County and more than 400 across 14 counties in South Georgia.
The program is very popular and has a waiting list of over 200 people in the region.
The meals are paid for through state and federal funds under the Older Americans Act, and leaders say if those dollars stop, so will deliveries.
Eula tells me she can still get around with her cane and cook, but many of her friends live alone and are not able to.
"It'd be hard for some people to get meals. And if they don't have family or somebody to assist them, what are they going to do," said Ellis.
I reached out to the Sowega Council on Aging.
They told me "the home-delivered meals program will continue until further notice" — but no one knows for how long.
Executive Director Izzie Sadler says funding will likely be affected, and if it is, Sowega will cut services and rely on leftover donations to stay open.
She's asking seniors to turn to community feeds and food pantries if deliveries stop.
Because of HIPAA laws, Sowega can't share its client list with nonprofits responding to the emergency.
And while groups like Thomas County CARES want to help, joining the program requires background checks and paperwork that take time..
So they're creating their own volunteer network to reach those seniors directly.
"Maybe we set up in one of the project areas and be able to start from there, but at the same time have community that can come and pick up the plates and take them to the outlying areas so that we can reach more people," said Tammie Murphy, Executive director of Thomas County Cares.
Murphy tells me she's still working out the logistics: connecting volunteers, drivers, and those who need help and hoping to have something in place before anyone misses a meal.
"I'm just going to have to be tighter on whatever I have, any funding that I might have, that I can stay, keep it back for harder times. Food, cut back on my food, try to stretch it where I can have something," said Ellis.
If you or someone you know depends on the senior meal delivery program and needs help during the pause, call Thomas County CARES at (229) 564-7516.
You can also donate to Thomas County CARES or Sowega Council on Aging to help keep meals going for homebound seniors.
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