A Murray State student seeks student donations as funding cuts put a valuable resource under threat for senior citizens in Calloway County.
After state funding for the Meals on Wheels program expired without renewal, the Murray-Calloway County Senior Citizens Center is working hard to continue meeting the needs of Murray’s elderly residents. The program, which delivered fresh meals to elderly recipients in their homes five days a week, is facing staff cuts and reduced meals for its recipients.
Zoei Blair, a senior social work major, is seeking support from Murray State students through a campus wide fundraiser done in partnership with the Residential College Association.
Blair has organized donation stations in each residence hall which are available from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The money collected from students going to support both the Meals on Wheels program and the residence hall with the most donations.
“I kind of set it up similar to a coin war,” Blair said. “It’s kind of like a little friendly competition between buildings, where the building that raises the most funding wins a $200 grant for their building to have some sort of like dinner party.”
All proceeds from the fundraiser go to support the Meals on Wheels program.
Blair, who works as a residential adviser for R.H. White and has served as an intern at the seniors center since the beginning of the semester, said she originally planned this fundraiser before news of the funding cut was known. Through working with the program, Blair said she has gotten to know its recipients, and said she knows how important this program is for them.
Murray Senior Center Executive Director Dacia Barger said she was informed on Sept. 23 that effective Oct. 1 the funding for their Meals on Wheels program would be cut 60% as crucial state grants were set to expire. The program, which served 1,250 meals a week to its 250 recipients, was funded largely through the American Rescue Plan Act, an economic stimulus package passed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Program funding through this act expired on Sept. 25.
Barger said she and her team have worked to find ways to keep the program running with reduced funding. Barger said this could mean staff cuts, and reduced meal deliveries to seniors.
“We have a worst case scenario plan, and that involves going down to two days a week and laying off six people,” Barger said. “Right now, we are running things as normal as we can, and we are committed to serving five days a week with the help of the community.”
Barger said she was devastated to learn the program’s funding had been cut so drastically. Barger said it is in the nature of non-profits to expect funding cuts, but the severity of these cuts and how quickly it was thrown on them had shocked her.
Tim Whitlow, a driver for the Meals on Wheels program, said these reduced deliveries could put seniors in danger. Whitlow said the program plays a crucial role in keeping an eye on these seniors, many of whom don’t have a listed emergency contact, and checking in on them regularly.
“We get eyes on these people that we take meals to five days a week,” Whitlow said. “If they’re not doing very well, then that’s a long time period between two to four days, not getting eyes on them…so if we go that long without seeing them, then that’s a big concern.”
Barger also stressed the importance of the program for checking on seniors and ensuring their health and safety. In speaking with program recipients about the cuts, Barger said there was a lot of fear from recipients and their families about how these reduced meal deliveries could affect them.
“We deliver Monday through Friday right now, and even on the weekends, we worry about them,” Barger said. “Because on Monday mornings we found that they had fallen and weren’t able to get to their phone, weren’t able to get help, and if we hadn’t showed up to deliver that meal, no telling what would have happened.”
As well as helping the center keep an eye on the health of its recipients, Barger said the program also helps seniors be more independent, and be able to stay home. Without the meal deliveries, some recipients may have no other choice but stay at a nursing home.
While Barger said there is hope that funding can be restored by state legislatures during the 2026 legislative session, for now, her and her team are looking to the community to help keep the program afloat.
Through her fundraiser, Blair said she had already received a $300 donation for Phi Beta Sigma and an additional $100 from student donations. This $400 in donations goes a lot farther than that, however, as the Murray-Calloway County Senior Citizens Center is currently participating in the Drs. Dick and Jan Weaver Challenge for Charities.
The challenge, organized by the Murray-Calloway County Community Foundation and running between Sept. 1 and Nov 30, matches all donations made by participating charities up to $5,000 with an equal donation by the foundation. The charity which raises the most money receives an additional $2,000.
“All of the donations that we’re getting from this event, so we’ve raised close to $400, It’s actually doubled through the Weaver challenge,” Blair said. “So it has doubled the impact.”
As well as Blair’s student fundraising efforts, the senior citizens center is also hosting a Meals on Wheels To-Go Fundraiser. Individuals can preorder a meal plate for $8 which includes chicken and dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans and a desert, to be picked up at the center on Oct. 15. Barger said 400 meals have already been preordered, but their goal remains 1,000.
Barger said the community has been very supportive, and she is sure that with their support, they can keep the program alive and keep supporting Murray’s seniors.
“We do feel hopeful and that’s only because of the community we live in Murray,” Barger said. “I truly believe Murray is one of the greatest places to live in, and they surround their people, and they’ve surrounded us with so much love and giving and hope, and so I really feel like we’re going to be okay.”
Blair’s fundraiser runs until Nov. 30. Students can find donation stations in their dorm. Blair said faculty and staff interested in donating to the senior citizens center can mail a check made out to the Murray-Calloway County Senior Citizens Center.
For more information on how to donate, you can visit http://www.murrayseniorcenter.org/
