Anonymous Donor Rescues Meals on Wheels Program

Habersham County Senior Center volunteers deliver meals to around 160 county residents coping with physical and/or financial hardships.Photo byCourtney Underwood/Habersham County Senior Center

When the Habersham County Senior Center's funding dried up two months before the end of the fiscal year, an anonymous donor stepped forward to save the program.

The donor, who has asked to remain anonymous, delivered a check to the center's director, Kathy Holcomb, last week to ensure that no county senior citizen goes without a meal before the new funding cycle begins on July 1.

According to Holcomb, the man, who said God blessed him in his career, read about the funding crisis in the news and wanted to help.

“I had a gentleman that just moved here from another state walk in the door and surprised me to help me meet my goal,” Holcomb said. “I was grateful that someone walked in the door and said, ‘Let me help you. What can I do for you?’ It just pleased me so well and I couldn’t wait to tell my people and my clients, and I’m just grateful for that. You don’t get that every day.”

The donor's move ensures that the center can continue providing meals to the 160 homebound clients Meals on Wheels serves.

Volunteers prepare meals for senior citizens in Habersham County. The Meals on Wheels program is a nutritional and social lifeline for many.Photo byCourtney Underwood/Habersham County Senior Center

'Just not enough to meet the demand'

According to Holcomb, federal government funding allotted after Hurricane Irma, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as part of the American Rescue Plan of 2021 bolstered the growing program in recent years. Now, that funding is exhausted and has left in its wake a challenge of keeping up with expenses.

Although Holcomb says the county "heavily funds the senior center and its programs," the county had not budgeted for a shortfall. Habersham County United Way also provides financial support to the Senior Center.

"There’s just not enough to meet the demand that’s out there," Holcomb said. "At this point in time, we’re like two months away from our new budget starting and we’re out of funds for feeding our senior citizens. So, I felt like as a steward of the program, I had to step up and reach out to the community to ask for additional assistance."

The donor stepped up after Holcomb's public appeal for help. She said the impact of his donation and others cannot be overstated.

"It means that we’re going to continue to provide for those seniors," Holcomb said. "We have about 160 homebound clients, and then we have over 300 clients here at the senior center. And we’re going to continue their programs every day, we’re going to provide for them their meals, and we’re going to make sure that their needs are met, both meal-wise and transportation-wise. We’re here for them."

Holcomb says the Area Agency on Aging and the Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services have found other subsidies to assist the Center. She says, "Hopefully, there will be additional grant funding when we get into our new fiscal year in July."