An article by James Walsh, reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune published on April 18, 2025, helps to illuminate the dire situation facing senior nutrition programs.
The article notes that funding is not keeping up with the growing need and many vulnerable older adults may lose access to meals essential to their well-being.
According to the article:
“Officials who work at senior programs expect their nutrition services to dish up more than half a million fewer meals in 2025 than they served in 2024, despite the fact that there’s an ever-increasing number of Minnesotans ages 65 and older in need. The math isn’t good, said Dawn Simonson, president and CEO of Trellis, which provides services to older residents in the Twin Cities.
‘Local service providers have already made reductions in the number of meals they provide each week, as well as cut routes for Meals on Wheels programs,’ Simonson said. ‘And they won’t be able to accept new people. There will be waiting lists.’”
Read the article and share it with others. Download the article as a pdf.
This is an all-hands-on-deck situation to ensure that older adults in greatest need are not denied nutritious food. Contact your Minnesota legislators and tell them to support funding for senior nutrition. Find your legislators here.