The Congregant Nutrition program of the Division on Aging, which is a favorite with many of the seniors in Bladen County, is operating on its normal schedule through the end of the fiscal year. The Bladen County Board of Commissioners met last week and the need for more funds for the Congregant Nutrition program was discussed.
The program, which is housed in the Bladen County Division on Aging, had reduced their number of lunches from 5 lunches per week to 3 lunches per week, according to Bladen County Commissioner Ray Britt. The meals are back on their normal schedule through June 30 and will be fully funded for 2018, said Bladen County Manager Greg Martin on Wednesday.
According to Bladen County Commissioner Board Chairman Charles Ray Peterson, funds were moved following the June 5th meeting to sustain that program through the end of the fiscal year.
Bladen County Manager Greg Martin said on Wednesday the Division on Aging was trying to manage their budget. He said the staff are trying to expand the number of participants and to ensure they are meeting all of the mandated thresholds for the program which has affected their funds.
Martin said there was funding found in the In-Home program which could be utilized for the nutrition program and those funds were moved to cover the expenses of the feeding program through the end of the year. He emphasized the program will be fully funded in 2018.
Bladen County Commissioner Ray Britt brought the matter to the attention of the board during the Monday, June 5th, meeting, “I received a call from a lady who was a little irate. Of course, I appreciate the way she felt after she told me why she was so upset. I may not have gotten the full jest of what she was trying to tell me but she has a concern for the seniors that until the budget was closed. Her first question was ‘Are we out of money in the county?’ I said I don’t think so. Her concern was, she said, the senior lunches had been cut from 5 days to 3 days until after the new budget. Her remark was, ‘If we had a ball game in the county park tonight, would all of the lights be on?’ I can understand her sympathy there and her concern.”
Britt asked for an explanation and Bladen County Manager Greg Martin said during the June 5ht meeting, “I know at the end of the year, sometimes they have to manage their budget. Those are Home and Community Care Block grant funds and they have to manage their budget, so that may have been a step that was taken to do that.”
Britt said the program means a lot to those who take part in it, including the caller. He said the participants enjoy the fellowship.
Martin assured the Congregant Nutrition program is fully funded for FY 2017-18 for “the number of people anticipated.”
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