A Message from the Executive Director
Ashley C. McCumber
One of the things that I say too often these days is “it’s possible for two diametrically opposed things to be true at the same time.” Now that it’s Spring in N.C., the trees - especially the big Oaks - are coming back to life and with this, they bring joy and anticipation of the beautiful green shade of Summer. However, it is also true that we’re about to suffer through a month of the green/yellow slug called pollen, which is the antithesis of joy.
To talk about the state of affairs at Meals on Wheels of Wake County this Spring, one must admit that we find ourselves very much in a place where two opposing feelings and realities exist. For all nonprofits right now, there is a great deal of uncertainty about our federal funding. Meals on Wheels receives 50% of our funding from Older Americans Act, as administered through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Community Living (ACL).
On March 26th, the federal Department of Health and Human Services moved, through a department-wide restructuring order, to eliminate the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a subsidiary established in 2012 to support disabled and aging people—part of a broader series of cuts that will see the firing of some 10,000 HHS staff. HHS’ press release on the restructuring claims that ACL’s responsibilities will be re-designated elsewhere within the department, which has yet to issue further details or clarify its plans.
The Administration for Community Living was designed for “bringing programs together to make sure that there were efficiencies and synergies between aging and disability networks.” Eliminating the agency also means that its functions will be dispersed, leaving those of us serving seniors and adults with disabilities feeling underrepresented with no seat at the table.
Clearly, we do not know what the impact of the reorganization may be on funding, but any cut in funding would be harmful to the seniors we serve. This would be the “pollen” I was referring to earlier.
At the same time that we worry about the future of our programs, we must stop to recognize what makes our
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programs work and how they impact the lives of those we serve – and that is the thousands of volunteers who show up every day to support their neighbors.
April is National Volunteer Month. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of volunteers in our operations. Each day 125 volunteers show up to make sure seniors are fed and safe. More than 2,000 regular volunteers show up each year.
Independent Sector reports that the value of an hour of volunteer service in North Carolina is $31.64. Using this number, volunteers to Wake- MOW contribute in-kind benefit to our operations in excess of $1 million annually, or 17% of our annual operating costs.
But that’s just dollars and cents. If you ask the volunteers and the clients, they will tell you the value extends far beyond what can be measured in monetary value. The measure is joy, connection, independence, dignity, and the knowledge that we all deserve to be seen and no senior should go hungry.
Because of the support we receive locally, it leaves me eternally optimistic that whatever “pollen” comes our way, we will continue to serve our community to the best of our ability and build friendships one knock at a time. Thank you to all our wonderful Wake MOW Volunteers!
Click the image below to read our Spring 2025 Issue of The Meal Times.
