Program Feeding Sunnyvale Seniors May Be On Chopping Block
SUNNYVALE (KCBS) – A 17 percent reduction in federal grants is forcing Sunnyvale officials to make touch choices when it comes to funding social programs.
One of the seven programs facing the chopping block is one that provides inexpensive meals to more than a hundred seniors in the city.
The program at the First Methodist Church has been going on for 37 years. Bob Howard has been coming for not only meals, but also for music and dancing for the last four years.
"Most senior citizens are on a fixed-income. I get $1,000 a month and half that money goes to rent," he said. "The lunches here are $2.50, it's a balanced meal. If they cut the funding, I would have to go out to a restaurant and spend at least $10 for a meal, which I can't afford."
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
Site manager Joan Smithson said the program is about more than just the food.
"This is for my seniors. It gives them a purpose in life, it gives them a reason to get up and get dressed in the morning," she said. "There's a lot of issues, not just the nutritional aspect."
The Sunnyvale City Council is expected to reconsider the issue next Tuesday.
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