Meals on Wheels, the home delivery meal program run locally by LifePath, has delivered meals to 1,136 individuals within the 725 square miles of Franklin County and the North Quabbin since the start of 2026.
Now, LifePath and other Meals on Wheels providers across the state are sounding the alarm over a nearly $6 million fiscal year 2027 budget deficit in the Senior Nutrition Program funding line that supports this service, which is struggling to meet rising demand while also grappling with rising food and delivery costs.
Mass Aging Access Executive Director Betsey Crimmins and Lisa Kippax, executive director of Elder Services of Worcester Area Inc., wrote in an op-ed to the Telegram & Gazette that the state’s 27 Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), including LifePath, are facing a projected $5.8 million deficit for the coming fiscal year for Meals on Wheels operations.
In a separate statement, Crimmins explained how nutrition services are a “visible and effective way to help older adults remain healthy.” Additionally, Meals on Wheels helps address social isolation.
“There has been a significant decrease in federal funding for this essential program and, with the rapidly growing older adult population in Massachusetts and the increase in food prices, we are very concerned about the increasing food insecurity and malnutrition that older adults are experiencing,” Crimmins said. “Without additional state investment, providers will face difficult decisions that will limit access for older adults who depend on these meals.”
According to Meals on Wheels America, the national leadership organization for Meals on Wheels, eight out of 10 local Meals on Wheels programs receive federal funding, and for more than 60% of providers, that represents at least half of their total budget. The largest source of federal funding comes from the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program.
Funding for the program is currently flat, prompting service cuts across the United States, according to a survey by the National Association of Nutrition & Aging Services Programs which states that spiking gas, food and energy prices are creating “the most serious threat” to the OAA Nutrition Program since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the op-ed by Crimmins and Kippax, funding for Meals on Wheels rose by less than 5% between 2023 and 2025, while food insecurity among adults ages 60 and older increased from 18% to 29%, according to the Great Boston Food Bank 2026 Massachusetts Food Access Report. In Franklin County, 48% of households experienced food insecurity in 2025.
On the state level, meanwhile, funding has not met the demand for Meals on Wheels, a problem that is coupled with the rising operational costs for providing the meals, as food prices increase. In some cases, vendor contracts to provide food for Meals on Wheels have risen by 30%, and the shortfall still exists even though funding for the Senior Nutrition Program is set to increase in FY27.
The current FY27 Senate budget allocates $13.9 million for Meals on Wheels, which was increased by $500,000 from the original $13.4 million figure that was approved by the House. The FY26 state budget included nearly $12.8 million for Meals on Wheels.
If the Senate’s allocation ultimately is what is approved for FY27, after its proposal gets reconciled with the House budget by a conference committee and sent to Gov. Maura Healey, it would represent a 10.6% increase over FY26. The final budget is due in mid-June.
Franklin County impact
Amid the outlook for state and federal funding, LifePath, based in Greenfield, could begin to see an impact on its Meals on Wheels services.
Lynne Feldman, associate executive director of LifePath, said the nonprofit is expecting decreased funding for Meals on Wheels based on changes to its state and federal contracts. The federal FY27 budget will begin on Oct. 1.
“From the state side, they’re looking to impose caps on certain services for which we receive funding to deliver health care, meals,” Feldman said, referencing changes in the Home Care Program that impacts the waiting lists for those in need of services like Meals on Wheels. “And then on the federal side, we’re also seeing cuts from the Older Americans Act federal funding, and we’re not exactly sure how much those deficits are going to be, but we’re prepared for funding to be decreased in the coming year, or years, for Meals on Wheels.”
LifePath falls in the category of Meals of Wheels providers that receive more than half of their funding from the federal budget. The Greenfield-based nonprofit gets 55% of its budget from federal funding, 26% from the state and 19% from local monies, according to Feldman. Notably, portions of federal Community Development Block Grants awarded to Montague and Orange are allocated by the towns to Meals on Wheels.
Feldman said LifePath is reliant on state funding to be able to fund its Meals on Wheels program, which costs around $2 million annually to operate. She added that the local funding from donations doesn’t make up for the rest that is needed to cover the food contracts, meal preparation and delivery.
“We’re very grateful for the members of the community who come forward and make donations, but the reality is that the need is just so much that we can’t do it with local support alone,” Feldman said.
If state and federal funding isn’t squared away, Feldman said current estimates project that LifePath will received between 10% and 20% less in state funding. On the federal side, if funding continues to be flat through the OAA Nutrition Program, LifePath could see 25% less federal funding by 2029, all during a time when demand is only increasing as residents of Franklin County and the North Quabbin region continue to age.
“Taking into account those who leave the program, the net average client increase for the past five years has been around 13 new program participants per year,” Feldman said in an email, noting that the program has served 1,136 people thus far in 2026. “We expect this figure to increase rapidly in the coming years as the ‘baby boom’ generation moves into the average age of participants.”
Former LifePath assistant kitchen manager and current volunteer meal driver Kathy Augustine explained that Meals on Wheels goes beyond just delivering nutritious meals.
On her route in Athol and Petersham where she drives between 60 and 70 miles per trip, Augustine said she and other volunteers do wellness checks on the people receiving the service. She said meal recipients often “brighten up” when a volunteer comes to drop off food and talk for a little while, alleviating social isolation for those who can’t leave their homes or who have limited interaction with loved ones.
If funding doesn’t come through, Augustine said the impact to those being served could be “tragic.”
“I know some people, they can get by,” Augustine said, “but for a good share, it would be the matter between eating and not eating, probably.”
While Meals on Wheels and LifePath are still fully operational, Feldman said that people with questions about the program can call to check their status and eligibility. LifePath can be reached at 413-773-5555.
