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Dear Board of Selectmen, Members of the Town Council and Members of the Board of Finance,
As members of the Board of Meals On Wheels of New Canaan, we echo the sentiments expressed by Irene’s Hendricks in her letter to the New Canaanite on February 29, 2024.
We were disheartened to see the comments by our First Selectman, and the subsequent proposed budget, regarding reducing or cutting funds to the Health and Human Services budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Meals on Wheels of New Canaan is a volunteer based organization that solely relies on the generous donations of our neighbors, the town and approved grants. Demand for MOW services has increased significantly in recent years. We delivered 1,000 more meals during the past 12 months versus the year prior. We are serving 107 individuals up 31% from a year ago. Additionally, requests for underwritten (benevolent) meals almost doubled; in 2019 only 37% of the meals delivered were covered by our donations. Today 69% of the meals we deliver are covered by donations.
We serve residents of all income levels and ages and for any period of time. Some are short term recovering from illness or surgery, others are long term older residents, some are referred to us by Health and Human Services while others have moved here to age in place closer to family and to enjoy all our wonderful town has to offer. It is important to note, we only serve our New Canaan community and we depend on the support of our community to continue providing this essential service.
Rather than cutting our funding in half, from $5000 per year to $2500 per year, we urge our Board of Finance and Town Council to continue supporting the Health and Human Services budget as they have in the past.
Sincerely,
Michele Murray Sloan President, Meals on Wheels of New Canaan