Senator Kristin Corrado called on Governor Phil Murphy to dedicate federal relief funds at his disposal to maintain “Meals on Wheels” breakfast deliveries to vulnerable seniors that will end next week.
“We’ve heard from seniors in Passaic County who were notified that their Meals on Wheels breakfast deliveries will stop on October 15 because CARES Act funding has run out,” said Corrado (R-40). “These food deliveries have been critically important to low-income, high-risk seniors who have avoided crowded places like grocery stores since the start of the pandemic. We’re calling on Governor Murphy to continue funding these Meals on Wheels services that are set to expire with a tiny portion of the $6 billion in federal relief funds he has yet to spend.”
The Murphy administration received $6.2 billion in federal pandemic relief funds through the American Rescue Plan Act in May. According to a recent analysis by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, more than $6 billion of those funds remained unspent at the end of September.
While Governor Murphy has been sitting on billions of dollars of “relief funds” that have yet to provide any relief, New Jersey seniors have been hit by the triple whammy of surging grocery prices, rising property taxes, and higher utility bills.
“Even without the threat of COVID-19, many of our seniors might not be able to afford their groceries even if they could make it to the store,” added Corrado. “Governor Murphy should do the right thing for New Jersey’s seniors and continue funding the Meals on Wheels programs that are set to expire. Pandemic relief funds should be used to help people, not left collecting dust in the bank.”