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No One Should Have to Wait for a Meal
From the March 2025 Issue of THE CAIRN STONE
Across Aroostook County, older adults are waiting – sometimes for months – for the meals they need to stay healthy and independent. Here at the Aroostook Agency on Aging, we’re doing everything possible to meet the growing demand, but the reality is stark: federal funding covers only about a third of meal costs, and food and labor expenses continue to climb. Without additional resources, more and more older adults in The County are left waiting for the nutrition and support they need.
Right now, the Agency’s waitlist is nearly as long as the list of those currently receiving meals – meaning just as many people are waiting as are being served. In FY2024 alone, we delivered more than 58,000 meals to 328 individuals, but the demand continues to rise. We’re in a position in which we have had to make difficult decisions – including steps to reduce meal preparation costs in northern Aroostook County that allow us to serve an additional 50 people per year – but it’s still not enough to meet the growing need.
Late last summer, Meals on Wheels America reached out to the Agency regarding its new campaign, End the Wait. They’d heard about the challenges that we were working to overcome and wanted to highlight the experiences of our clients and staff here in The County as part of this national awareness-raising effort. Storyteller Andrew Williams traveled around The County, visiting with Meals on Wheels recipients who had to wait – for more than a year – before being able to join this critical program. Andrew learned that, for people like Houlton’s Inez McLean, a recent amputee, and Joel Roy, a retired teacher in Van Buren facing mobility challenges, Meals on Wheels has been a lifeline.
After losing a leg to vascular disease, Inez (pictured above left) faced a tough recovery made even harder by the lack of nutritious meals. Cooking was no longer an option, and without balanced food, her health suffered.
When Meals on Wheels began delivering, everything changed. "It’s hard when you can’t just get up and cook something," she says. Now, she receives ten frozen meals every two weeks – meals she loves. "I like anything that’s got a little heat to it," she laughs. "That Thai coconut chicken with jasmine rice – I like it."
Beyond nutrition, the program also brings connection. Her deliveries come from Don, a familiar face from her church. "He knows everybody," she says. "I’m sure everybody he takes a meal to gets at least one laugh. I love Don."
Joel (pictured above right) has a similar story: he experienced severe health challenges, including osteoarthritis and vertigo, which make cooking difficult. Because, like many older adults, he wanted to continue to live in his own home with his beloved cat, he applied for Meals on Wheels – only to spend two years on a waitlist, during which his health declined further. Now, however, the healthy diet supported by Meals on Wheels has helped his health stabilize, and program flyers included in meal deliveries inspired him to begin walking regularly. “I read those flyers, and one said, ‘Get 1 to 2 hours of activity a week.’ I took that to heart.”
For Inez and Joel, these meals are more than food – they are independence, strength, and community. But too many older adults are still waiting, uncertain when – or if – help will come.
Nationally, food insecurity among older adults is a growing crisis. According to Meals on Wheels America:
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7.4 million seniors in the U.S. are living in poverty, struggling to afford necessities like food and healthcare.
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Nearly 10 million older adults experience food insecurity or are at risk of hunger.
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One in three Meals on Wheels programs has a waitlist, with seniors waiting an average of three months – and in some areas, up to two years – for service.
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The demand for senior nutrition services is rising faster than funding, leaving local programs scrambling to fill the gap.
Beyond hunger, isolation is another major threat to the health of older adults. Studies show that social isolation increases the risk of dementia, heart disease, and depression – and for many older adults, a visit from a Meals on Wheels volunteer may be the only regular personal interaction they have.
“Our community’s older adults cannot afford to wait,” says Joy Barresi Saucier, Executive Director of the Aroostook Agency on Aging. “The need is urgent, and the funding simply isn’t keeping pace.” Chris Beaulieu, Director of Home Care Nutrition Services, echoes this concern: “We know the difference these meals make, and it’s devastating that we can’t reach everyone who needs help.”
This isn’t just a local issue – it’s a national crisis. Meanwhile, charitable giving for programs that support older adults remains low, and volunteer numbers have dwindled to their lowest in nearly two decades.
Barresi Saucier notes, “Aroostook County residents have a long tradition of coming together to support one another, and right now, our older neighbors need us – whether through financial contributions to our home-delivered meal program or volunteer support in our nutrition department.”
The Agency is working hard to ensure that no older adult in Aroostook County has to wait for the meals they need to thrive, and we need your help. Want to end the wait for folks like Inez and Joel? Here are a few ways you can make a difference:
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Read the full stories written by Andrew Williams, the storyteller who visited us in August: The Crisis of Waiting; In the Kitchen with Inez; Joel's Story; and Presque Isle, Aroostook.
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Consider volunteering with the Agency's nutrition department. Volunteer support helps us do more...and like Inez says, her volunteer visits bring her tremendous joy.
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Donate meals to help us reach more people on our waitlist. Just $12.50 - the cost of a fast food meal - ensures that an older individual in Aroostook County has a nutritious meal that supports their well-being. Click the button below to give the gift of food security to one of our clients.