Pallone Delivers Meals to Senior Citizens in NJ’s 6th District

Participated in 13th Annual March for Meals Campaign

ASBURY PARK, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-6) visited Interfaith Neighbors in Asbury Park, NJ to deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors in New Jersey’s 6th District. Congressman Pallone joined volunteers on one of the organization’s delivery routes as part of the 13th annual March for Meals campaign, when hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs mobilize their communities in order to build support that will sustain their senior nutrition programs throughout the year.

“Meals on Wheels addresses the very serious issue of hunger in our communities, providing not only food, but also companionship and enabling seniors to live independently in their homes,” said Congressman Pallone. “I applaud all the volunteers who dedicate their efforts to ensuring that the seniors in our community have this critical lifeline available to them. I am glad to join them today and encourage others to give whatever time they have this month, and throughout the year, to support Meals on Wheels programs in their communities.”

In 2012, 5.3 million Americans over the age of 60 were food insecure, which amounts to 9% of all senior citizens. Food insecure seniors sometimes have enough money to purchase food, but were not able to access or prepare food due to lack of transportation, functional limitations, or health problems, making programs like Meals on Wheels a critical lifeline for so many.

Even so, programs that combat hunger and food insecurity have faced significant cuts to their budgets in recent years. Congressman Pallone has repeatedly called for the reversal of these harmful cuts, especially due to their impact on the elderly, infirmed and homebound.

Meals on Wheels, which operates in communities across the country through a network of more than 5,000 independently-run local programs, delivers a nutritious meal, a friendly visit, and a safety check to homebound and socially isolated seniors. The combination of services enables seniors to remain safely and securely in their own homes as they continue to age.

With the help of over 45 religious congregations, Interfaith Neighbors works to meet the basic needs, build community, and increase the self-sufficiency of residents of Monmouth County. The Meals on Wheels program at Interfaith Neighbors provides a well-balanced meal for approximately 3,500 senior citizens in New Jersey annually, totaling 350,000 meals each year.

Sequester Takes Food from the Mouths of Seniors in Need

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Congressman calls for an end to across the board GOP spending cuts hitting Meals on Wheels

Long Branch, NJ— On Monday, May 6, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) visited Interfaith Neighbors, which operates a Meals on Wheels program in Asbury Park that has been strained due to the federal across the board budget cuts known as the sequester. Pallone called for a complete reversal of the cuts and noted their impact on the elderly, infirmed and homebound.

“Cuts to programs like Meals on Wheels are a perfect example of why Republican approach to indiscriminate, blind cuts are such a bad idea,” said Pallone. “Meals on Wheels addresses the very serious issue of hunger in our communities, enabling seniors to live longer in their homes by proving food and companionship. Limiting the ability of Meals on Wheels to provide those in need with food is unconscionable. Congress must fully repeal these destructive cuts and work on an approach to fix our deficit sensibly.”

Meals on Wheels offers seniors better health through the combination of a hot, nutritious meal and an opportunity for companionship. Interfaith Neighbors’ Meals on Wheels program is funded through U.S. Department of Agriculture reimbursements, Monmouth County grants, and donations. Interfaith serves nearly 400,000 meals per year and, as a result of the federal budget cuts, will provide 32,000 fewer meals to seniors.

The meals are nutritionally well balanced and planned by a registered dietitian on staff. The meals are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a. m. to 2:00 p. m., and a limited weekend and holiday meal program is provided for the most needy and frail homebound seniors who have no one else to care for them. Meals on Wheels serves seniors over the age of sixty and a limited number of younger disabled persons as well.

Interfaith Neighbors, Inc. is a non-profit New Jersey Corporation, supported by over 90 religious congregations of all denominations plus hundreds of private donors as well as corporations, charitable gift trusts and foundations.

Congressman Pallone voted against the sequester, a set of indiscriminate federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1.

President Obama's Weekly Address 4/27/13: Time to Replace the Sequester with a Balanced Approach to Deficit Reduction

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that because Republicans in Congress allowed a series of harmful, automatic budget cuts—called the sequester—to take effect, important programs like Head Start are now forced to reduce their services. After travelers were stuck for hours in airports and on planes this past week, members of Congress passed a temporary band-aid measure to stop the cuts that impact airlines — but they must do more to stop cuts to vital services for the American people. That’s why it’s time for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that makes smarter cuts and reforms in the tax code while creating jobs and strengthening the middle class.

Cuts Have Consequences

From the e-Newsletter of Congressman Rush Holt

Hunger is a very real and mounting problem in our community. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey reports that, since 2008, demand for their services has increased by an unprecedented 46 percent. Much of the need has come from families who were firmly anchored in the middle class until, through no fault of their own, they suffered a job loss in the recession.

Yet even as the toll of hunger has increased, the House Majority has sought to radically cut programs that fight hunger in New Jersey and across America. The Ryan Budget, which I opposed, would slash the Food Stamp program by $36 billion over ten years, leading 2 million Americans to lose access to Food Stamps and curtailing benefits for 44 million more.

Let’s be clear: Food Stamps already provide only the barest of safety nets to vulnerable families. The average benefit is just $31.50 per week – about a dollar and a half per meal. If you are fortunate enough to ordinarily live on a much more comfortable food budget, I encourage you to try purchasing a week’s worth of food at this price, as I did late last year. You will discover, in a profound and troubling way, the fragility of our safety-net programs. Now imagine how much more difficult your task would be if Food Stamps were cut further!

The Ryan Budget would do even more to take food off the table of the hungry. It would permanently eliminate the Social Services Block Grant program, which provides vital support for Meals on Wheels, child care, and child protective services. New Jersey has received $48.1 million through this program in 2012 alone.

In a time of great need, I find it incomprehensible that the Republican majority would further shred our social safety net in order to cut taxes on millionaires and preserve a bloated Defense Department budget.

This is one in a series on the impact of the so-called Ryan Budget, the House Majority’s plan for the federal government. The budget passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March on a mostly party-line vote.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress