SAVANNAH, Ga. – A local organization finds itself in a desperate race to continue providing meals to seniors after losing crucial federal funding.

The ongoing federal shutdown poses a serious threat to Meals on Wheels programs nationwide, including those in the coastal Georgia area. Patti Lyons, the president of Senior Citizens Inc., expressed growing concern over the uncertainty, particularly with the impending end of SNAP benefits. She warned that this situation could prove disastrous for seniors who rely heavily on both programs to ensure their food security.

“We collaborate closely with our hospitals,” she explained. “They are aware of the potential crisis. Without a resolution soon, hospitalizations could increase significantly.”

Senior Citizens Inc. has been an integral part of the Savannah community for 65 years, supporting 10,000 older adults throughout coastal Georgia and providing meals to over 1,600 individuals each day.

“This marks the first time the government has indicated they might not reimburse us,” Lyons stated. “Previously, we’ve used our savings, confident that a resolution would eventually come with reimbursements. Now, we face the daunting reality of what to do if that doesn’t happen.”

The organization’s Meals on Wheels program is funded through the Older Americans Act, federal support Lyons called the bedrock of keeping seniors safe and in their homes. Meals on Wheels is for homebound senior citizens who can’t prepare their own meal. That funding is now on hold.

“And it’s truly one of the most difficult decisions that we’ve ever had to make as an organization,” Lyons said. “We’ve gone through and looked at our clients and done a triage of, you know, who are the people that we are providing their only food during the day? Who are the people that depend on us for having conversation?”

The concerns are growing as SNAP benefits, a separate food assistance program, are also set to freeze Nov. 1.

“You’ve got a whole different group there called Seniors SNAP,” Lyons said. “Those are the folks that we’re serving that they’re getting $10 a day. But that $10 is crucial for them.”

Lyons said her team is working with community partners like America’s Second Harvest to fill the gap as they already struggle to meet demand.

“We have a waiting list,” Lyons said. “Even with all those meals that we’re producing every day, we have a waiting list of older adults who we know need the food, but we do not have the support to be able to feed them. So, we already have a dire situation. But to lose truly our biggest federal source of funding is going to be catastrophic.”

She added, “That to me is one of the worst parts, is that they’re scared and they shouldn’t be scared.”

Lyons said the organization is relying on savings to keep delivering meals for now. But if the federal shutdown continues, Meals on Wheels funding could run out as early as November.