Ronald Parker, Baytown Meals on Wheels executive director, spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Baytown members recently, saying he hates to bring up finances.
“But this is the reality of the thing,” Parker said.
Parker said he went through these numbers this past month, and it costs them $2.15 to deliver a meal above what they receive. Parker explained that finances for Meals on Wheels come from the United Way, Area Agencies on Aging (Health and Human Services), the federal wing of government that gives them the money. Parker added that they receive a small amount of money from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
“And we get a small amount of money from Harris County, and they base theirs on what the state of Texas gives, so they give a portion of a percentage of whatever Texas gives,” Parker said.
Lumping all of those together adds up to the $2.15 figure, Parker said.
“So, if we don’t get donations, we have one alternative and that is to cut the amount of people that we serve a meal to,” Parker said. “I don’t like to do that, and our board doesn’t like to do that. But we’ve come very close to the point of doing that.
“And it’s very difficult because nobody was able to give me the formula of how you cut somebody’s meal off,” he said. “Is it last in, first out like inventory? How do you do that? Do you take from age? Because the younger ones are going to live longer, do you cut the oldest ones out? There is no formula as far as I’m concerned.”
Parker mentioned that Meals on Wheels features a Pickleball Tournament as a fundraiser. They hosted a second annual one at the Chambers County Pickleball Courts in Mont Belvieu in February.
“We do everything we can to raise the money to keep from cutting a meal to a senior,” he said. “We do our very best but still have a waiting list. It’s unfortunate. But it’s the situation we’re in. We only have so much money and we can only give food that will allow us to break even at the end of the year.”
Parker emphasized that Meals on Wheels’ goal is to raise enough so that they can keep the people that need the meals.
“ And our meals, again, come from a commissary in Houston,” he said. “They charge us so much per meal. And the cost of the drivers and the mileage is just more money than we get. So, we’re operating now with donations.”
Parker was asked if he felt the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, could make cuts to the program and force them to reduce the number of people they serve.
“Well, we haven’t reached that point,” Parker said. “The United Way year begins in July, and they held to what they gave us last year. But the biggest one obviously is the federal government.”
Parker said Meals on Wheels falls under the same umbrella as the Health and Human Services.
“If that is cut, the amount of money that they cut will determine if we lose people or not,” Parker said. “And we have no alternative. We can’t eliminate a driver because some of our drivers are delivering 60 meals a day and they have three hours to do it in as set by the government. So that doesn’t leave them much time. That’s what we’re looking forward to right now.”
Parker said he feels that if the federal government makes cuts, then the state government will also make cuts.
“So, we have a double whammy coming up,” Parker said.
Parker was asked what kind of money do they require.
“We’re looking at close to $150,000,” he said.
Parker said clubs like Kiwanis, The Rotary Club of Baytown, the Baytown Lions Club, the Pilot Club of Baytown, and some smaller social organizations present them with a check whenever possible.
“And that’s all good. But our biggest thing is just contributions from the public,” he said. “We beg, borrow, and do everything else we can to get the word out.”
Baytown Meals On Wheels is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization, and your gift will stay local and benefit Baytown-area recipients in need. All donations are tax-deductible.
More information about Meals On Wheel’s mission and how you can donate directly can be found here.
