As printed in the March 16, 2004 issue of the
Ventura County Star Newspaper


Meals on Wheels gets donations to stay open

A program that provides meals to homebound senior citizens in western Ventura County is no longer facing closure at the end of the month, thanks to an increase in donations.

"We've received enough money to stay open at least until June," Victoria Herrera, director of the Meals on Wheels program, said Monday.

The program was in danger of closing because it didn't have enough money to pay its bills, including rising workers' compensation insurance costs. But donations increased after recent media reports about the financial problems.

"We've got some pretty big donations, including $10,000 from Affinity Bank," Herrera said.

With an annual budget of about $420,000, Meals on Wheels delivers about 150 meals a day to people in Ventura, Oxnard and Santa Paula.

The group gets a combined $200,000 annually from these cities and charges $3 to $4.50 per meal, depending on a person's ability to pay. Herrera said it depends on grants and private donantions for the rest of its funding. Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to The Ventura County Commission on Nutrition Meals on Wheels, P.O. Box 833, Ventura, CA 93002.

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