That’s caused area development districts to scale back services to those they serve.
Funding included a one-time federal grant from the American Rescue Plan Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the money comes from the state budget, which funds services through 2026.
In northern Kentucky, that shortfall accounts for $339,842 worth of home-delivered meals, and $53,994 worth of congregate meals in places like community or senior centers.
Kevin Cornette is the executive director of the Buffalo Trace Area Development District, headquartered in Maysville. He says those meal deliveries are a lifeline in the region’s smaller towns.
“For some of these folks, they're the only contact that they have with people,” Cornette said. “And it is a vital service to check on those folks and to make sure their needs are being met.”
Cornette says they’ve been reducing the amount of meals they hand out each week to keep from dropping clients altogether.
They’ve also eliminated drive-through meals at senior centers, and have been requiring those centers to make reservations before organizing congregated meals.
“We did have some critical situations that went from seven to five meals,” Cornette said. “We've got a lot of five meals that have gone to three meals per week. So to give you an idea of what we've done in our five counties, we have cut 160 meals weekly.”
That includes 22 meals in Bracken County, 32 meals in Fleming County, 34 meals in Lewis County, 64 meals in Mason County and eight meals in Robertson County.
Cornette says federal funding cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill Act could also cause more reductions to senior meal programs in the future. Those cuts are scheduled to kick in next year.
The district has been getting help from local churches and businesses in the meantime. Cornette says anyone interested in donating can reach out to the Buffalo Trace Area Development District through their website, by calling 606-564-6894 or by emailing kcornette@btadd.com.
