"This community has always stepped forward and helped in every single way we've needed it over the years and we need it now," said Mobile Meals Manager Alison Taylor.-
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By DREW GARDNER
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - For hundreds of homebound seniors, a daily hot meal would be impossible without the help of Mobile Meals.
"The eligibility for Mobile Meals is not income-based. It is basically on need," said Mobile Meals Manager Alison Taylor.
Taylor says that of the 900 seniors on the program, the government only pays for 350. That leaves the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee's Office on Aging to come up with the rest of the funding.
"Right now we're in a crisis," said Taylor. "Our funding has decreased."
The program is facing the tough task of putting new applicants on a waiting list. Taylor says with the baby boomers aging, demand is only growing.
"Potentially, I'm sure there is plenty more people out there who need Mobile Meals and I don't want to be the one to tell someone they need to be on a waiting list," added Taylor. "Because how do you tell someone who needs to eat?"
Taylor says the office is in high gear soliciting donations from the community and other organizations.
"This community has always stepped forward and helped in every single way we've needed it over the years and we need it now," said Taylor.
They also must re-evaluate their current list of recipients.
"We're hoping to decrease our client list just by attrition," said Taylor. "We have lots of people that call and say 'I'm better now and I can make my own meals.'"
Taylor is assuring those currently in the program that their meals are not in jeopardy and they are going to keep working hard to make sure that never happens.
If you would like to donate to Mobile Meals, you can contact the Office on Aging at 865-524-2786.
You can also donate online by visiting the Office of Aging website and putting "Mobile Meals" in the "In Honor Of" section.
