Chickasha Senior Citizens Nutrition Center Lacking Funds

The Chickasha Senior Citizens Nutrition Center faces the same challenges that all the other nutrition centers in the state do--serving their seniors and securing enough money.

Friday, July 2nd 2010, 4:29 pm

By: News 9


By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

CHICKASHA, Oklahoma -- Every weekday thousands of senior Oklahomans rely upon local nutrition centers to provide them with meals. The Centers have been at the center of some recent budget battles, but they're hanging in there. In Grady County the centers are hoping the local voters will supply them with a little extra money.

The Chickasha Senior Citizens Nutrition Center faces the same challenges that all the other nutrition centers in the state do--serving their seniors and securing enough money.

The Chickasha Center serves 60 seniors lunch every weekday. They also deliver meals to another 60.

"At 81 I don't like to cook very much, so this is an easy way to solve that problem," Chickasha senior Verna Essex said.

"The food is very good, it's nutritional," said Chickasha senior Paul Essex. "We're eating better than we ate at home by a darn sight."

Last fall hundreds of seniors rallied at the Capitol to protest proposed cuts of $7 million in the nutrition programs. The Legislature restored most, but not all of the money, and funding challenges won't go away.

"I think we're still having some trouble," said center director Donna Dowdy. "We're still iffy on what's going to happen with the budget."

Some seniors could deal with cuts in meals, but not all.

"Probably for a lot of people it would be important if they are on a, like, fixed income," Chickasha senior Jess Burton said.

On July 27, Grady County voters will be asked to approve Proposition One. It would establish a one-eighth cent county sales tax to fund the nutrition centers.

If approved Proposition One would ease, but not solve, the Nutrition Center's funding needs. Some centers will still have to rely in large measure upon the Legislature to keep the meals coming.

Grady County Commissioners are supporting Proposition One, and they made arrangements for it to be placed on the ballot.

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