Congressman Steven Horsford Delivers Meals to Nevada Seniors with Meals on Wheels

Las Vegas, NV — On Tuesday, August 20, 2019, Congressman Steven Horsford teamed up with Catholic Charities for its Meals on Wheels program to deliver meals to seniors in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District. Catholic Charities' Meals on Wheels program is the largest home delivered meal service program in Nevada, providing daily meals to over 2,125 Nevadans every week.

Meals and Wheels is the only federally supported program which provides older Americans – who often live in poverty, isolation, with limited mobility and declining health – a necessary connection to community by addressing health, nutritional and social needs of seniors. The Meals on Wheels Program delivers a set of seven nutritionally balanced, frozen meals every week to seniors at NO COST to the individual. Meals on Wheels drivers also make weekly wellness checks and deliver donated pet food for clients who have companions. Meals on Wheels also provides nutritional supplements and durable medical equipment like wheelchairs or walkers for Seniors — a mission important to the Congressman and his goal to improve health care access for all Nevadans.

Meals on Wheels is a public-private partnership that relies on federal funding from the Older Americans Act (OAA), which is due for reauthorization in the coming months. Congressman Horsford will push to ensure that Meals on Wheels receives the funding it deserves. Nationally, one in six seniors struggles with hunger. Nevada ranks among the top states in the country with the highest rates of hunger risk among seniors. In 2016, about 80,000 older Nevadans (ages 60 and above) were considered food insecure, defined as lacking reliable access to nutritious and affordable food. It is estimated that by 2025, 17,000 more older Nevadans will need nutrition services than those today, totaling almost 100,000 residents.

As a member of the Congressional Hunger Caucus, Congressman Horsford hopes his efforts in joining Meals on Wheels will bring attention to the problem of food deserts in Southern Nevada and will continue to fight food insecurity on the federal level.

About Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada:

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada is one of the largest nonprofit social service providers in the state, offering the most comprehensive range of human services. For nearly 80 years, the mission of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada has been to give help, hope and transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable men, women and children in our southern Nevada community regardless of race, religion, or creed. For additional information, please visit CatholicCharities.com.