FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Most Kentucky seniors will continue receiving free hot meals through next June after Governor Andy Beshear announced $9 million in additional funding for the state's senior meal program.
The funding injection comes after weeks of uncertainty for seniors who rely on the daily meals. State lawmakers had been pushing Beshear to reallocate money to prevent service cuts to the program.
"We all understand that there's a lot of need out there. The need continues to grow. We're going to try balance this program with the funds that we have," Beshear said on Monday.
The senior meal program had been forced to roll back some services after spending significantly more than what was budgeted. Some Republican state lawmakers blamed the Beshear administration for mismanaging the situation.
"It's just unacceptable to not provide the funds for this program," said Sen. Greg Elkins.
Elkins said he's glad the governor's team moved money around to find a solution, calling the senior meal program one of the biggest services people rely on.
"To some of our most vulnerable population - and it seems often times, the most neglected or ignored as well - this program is vital to them," Elkins said.
Elkins hopes the governor's team comes up with better estimates when requesting money for this program in the next state budget.
However, Beshear warned that Kentucky has used federal COVID dollars to supplement the meal program for years, and that money has now dried up. The governor also cautioned that federal cuts to programs like SNAP could complicate things in Kentucky because the need will grow while less federal money is available to help people.
