Following compelling testimony from Senior Meals and Services Coalition members, our policy bill (SF4508/HF4210) has been included in both the Minnesota House and Senate omnibus policy bills (HF729/SF476). While there is more work to be done, this is an important step toward getting the legislation passed this session.
The bill proposes updates to the Senior Nutrition Program statute to improve efficiency and provide greater flexibility for innovation. In House and Senate committee hearings, coalition members shared how these changes would better support older Minnesotans by allowing nutrition providers to deliver food boxes, meal kits and other options beyond prepared meals.
“The changes we seek will increase access to food for older adults across the state who face malnutrition,” said Dawn Simonson, Trellis President and CEO. Stacy Lund, Director of Food Access for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, added, “We know that we have opportunities-in rural Minnesota particularly-to try to stretch our dollars and to be more efficient to meet the needs of our older adults.”
We are grateful for the leadership of the bill’s lead and co-authors:
- Senator Erin Maye Quade
- Senator John Hoffman
- Senator Zaynab Mohamed
- Representative Peter Fischer
- Representative Bianca Virnig
Stay tuned for more updates about the legislation in the coming weeks. Thank you for supporting the Senior Meals and Services Coalition!