Meals on Wheels' federal funding is in trouble, and the Osceola Council on Aging is joining the campaign to help save lunch.

  • Congressional funding for Meals on Wheels in danger
  • Deadline for program funding is Sept. 30
  • Group starts #SaveLunch campaign to reaise awareness

Ralph Lamar is an Army veteran living on his own in Kissimmee.

“I am 82 years old and it’s hard to keep going at that age,” Lamar said.

Getting around becomes a little difficult at times. Lamar lost one of his legs and is at risk of losing the other due to bad circulation.

Lamar showed us around his home. “It’s not a whole lot of room but I can at least get in there,” he said.

Going out to get food or preparing meals at home isn’t really an option. Lamar showed us the types of meals he gets delivered: “Turkey, spinach, looks like potatoes,” he explained.

Lamar said Meals on Wheels has helped him live independently.

“It’s been a lifesaver to me, you know. I hope they can continue to do it because there would be a lot of people that would miss out,” he said. “It’s helped my health; I am healthier now than I was a year ago when I started getting Meals on Wheels.”

The Osceola Council on Aging is calling on Congress to fully fund Meals on Wheels before the Sept. 30 decision deadline.

Advocates for the program have started the hashtag #SaveLunch on social media and are asking people to take pictures of their empty plates to post online.

“Seniors going hungry, seniors that have an empty plate,” said Wilda Belisle, the nutrition director at the council. “Seniors waiting by a phone for me or for someone to call them and tell them today is your day; today you’re going to get Meals on Wheels. That shouldn't happen, it shouldn't happen at all.”

More than 500 plates have already been signed by different people in the community, a movement Lamar hopes works.

“It makes me feel bad because you know they donate money to these other countries and all that and everything, and my feeling is they need to take care of the needy here, you know?” Lamar said.

The Osceola Council on Aging invited members of Congress to come to Kissimmee and check out its Meals on Wheels program. If no one comes out, they plan to head to Tallahassee and the state legislature next week to personally hand deliver the signed plates they've been collecting.