Meals on Wheels Sees Donations Surge After Trump Proposes Funding Cuts

Senior citizens in one suburb could see Meals on Wheels deliveries cut in half if President Trump’s budget cuts become reality, Jenny Bertolette, a spokeswoman for the network, told CNN, as it anticipated “deep cuts” to a nonprofit that serves 2.4 million Americans.

But private donations have surged in response, Bertolette told The Washington Post. The national office has taken in more than $100,000 since the White House announced plans to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant program last Thursday—compared with about $1,000 on a normal day.

While the block grants fund only a small portion of Meals on Wheels operations nationwide, Bertolette told CNN that some of the group’s 5,000 local branches rely on the money to bring food to people.