Caldwell Meals on Wheels faces potential service cuts under proposed Medicaid reductions from Gov. Brad Little, threatening daily meal delivery and safety checks for 54 homebound seniors and people with disabilities in Canyon County.
For nearly 50 years, the nonprofit has served the populations of Caldwell, Middleton, and Greenleaf, providing hot meals Monday through Friday and frozen meals once weekly to eligible recipients in both urban and rural areas.
WATCH | Learn about the proposal and the potential cuts to vital services
"We serve about 156 people in Caldwell, Middleton, and Greenleaf," said Julie Warwick, director of Caldwell Meals on Wheels.
Warwick emphasized that the organization's mission extends beyond food delivery. "We're kind of a touchstone, you know, we see the folks every day," she said.
Daily visits allow volunteers to conduct safety and wellness checks on clients. When someone who normally answers the door doesn't respond, volunteers follow up to ensure the person is safe. These repeated interactions build relationships between volunteers and recipients over time.
Volunteer and lifelong Caldwell resident, Patti Moylan, said the experience provides meaning and purpose.
"Hearing stories and talking to them— it's just a good way to keep in touch," Moylan added.
Caldwell Meals on Wheels operates as a small, standalone nonprofit without major corporate backing. The program relies on approximately 40 volunteers who commit to delivering meals one day per week. The Board of Directors also consists entirely of volunteers.
However, proposed reductions to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, known as HCBS, could eliminate funding for Meals on Wheels services provided to people with disabilities and some seniors, Warwick said.
"If they continue forward with what the governor wants to do with eliminating all HCBS, which are home and community-based services, Meals on Wheels falls under that," Warwick said. "So that would be totally cutting out home-delivered meals for folks with disabilities and senior citizens."
The nonprofit currently receives Medicaid reimbursement of 6.78 cents per meal after reductions made in the 2025 fiscal budget. Little's proposed balanced budget includes a $45 million cut in general fund Medicaid spending for fiscal year 2027, which could impact multiple services statewide.
54 of the organization's clients currently receive meals funded through Medicaid. "So those 54 people would immediately have no funding for meals," Warwick concluded.
Some seniors may qualify for meals through the Southwest Idaho Area Agency on Aging, which serves Canyon, Ada, Valley, Elmore, and Owyhee counties. However, Warwick warned the agency could quickly become overwhelmed if Medicaid-funded meals are eliminated.
"If that's happening all over Region 3, which we are in, they're gonna get overwhelmed very quickly and have a waitlist," she said.
Waitlists for Meals on Wheels services already exist in other parts of the country, some lasting years, Warwick said.
"Some seniors don't live long enough to start getting a meal from Meals on Wheels, and that's the biggest thing I'm afraid will happen," she said.
Eligibility for Medicaid-funded meals requires an aged and disabled waiver, which involves in-home assessments to verify need. The organization also works to prevent misuse of services by reporting concerns to appropriate agencies.
"We watch for that because we don't want that to happen because then that means people that need the service aren't getting it," Warwick said.
Beyond meals, the organization provides additional support to reduce isolation, including holiday gifts, handwritten cards from community members, and a pet food program for seniors who struggle to afford food for their animals.
Warwick said she contacted the governor, local legislators, and members of the Legislature's budget committee to share her concerns.
"I got a response from the governor, and I got a response from one legislator," she said. "He didn't speak specifically to my issue."
As she waits for a meeting with the governor, Warwick said she plans to bring photos of clients who rely on the service.
"I would like him to look at the faces of the people that this is going to affect, and it's gonna look like his grandma, his aunt, you know, his mom," she said. "It needs to be personal."
Despite the uncertainty, Warwick said Caldwell Meals on Wheels will continue serving clients and advocating for those who depend on the program, emphasizing that for many recipients, the daily visit is as important as the meal itself.
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