Program takes 25 percent cut in state funding; may face more

County nutrition sites face cuts Program takes 25 percent cut in state funding; may face more BY ROBERT FOX STAFF WRITER RFOX@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM The Comanche County Nutrition Project is maintaining all of its seven sites despite a 25 percent budget cut, although it’s had to trim some service and cut back on personnel expenses. Julie Justice, Comanche County project director, said there is no hint of the budget being restored in the near future. “What we’ve been told, it may get worse,” Justice said; there has been no word on how much worse or when it might happen. She said the decision to cut the project’s budget stemmed from the state’s revenue shortfall and was made by the head of Oklahoma Department of Human Services and approved by Gov. Brad Henry. “I hope when the dust settles with the revenue that we’re not forgotten,” Justice said. She said the cut took about $11,000 of the Comanche County Nutrition Project’s $42,000 a month operational budget. If more reductions bring the total cuts to 35-40 percent, it would force Justice to close the centers and not deliver meals one day a week, she said. So far, Justice said, the seven sites haven’t had to reduce the number of meals they serve each day. Combined, the sites serve and deliver 450 meals every day to senior citizens, she said. But the budget cut has forced some difficult decisions. One employee who left one of the sites has not and will not be replaced. Justice said she has had to eliminate retirement benefits for employees, and a waiting list has started for people to receive delivered meals, though those who have been receiving delivered meals will continue to do so. Residents on waiting list “We get referrals every day for people who are unable to prepare their own meals and have no one to prepare meals for them,” she said. Since the end of October, 17 people have been added to the list, and they would have been added to the delivery schedule if not for the budget cut. She said she is trying to avoid having to deliver frozen meals instead of fresh meals, but she has to wait and see if the sacrifices made will be enough to offset the budget cut. Trying to cut costs In addition, Justice said she is trying to reduce the cost of preparing meals by looking for less expensive ingredients, using the food bank, cutting dessert from the menu or offering fruit instead and, in the course of normal operation, wasted food is kept to a minimum. “We do have a pretty good handle on the count from day to day,” she said. Those who dine onsite donate for coffee and tea and are asked to donate for the meal, though many can’t give anything, Justice said. Recently the Project Advisory Council raised the recommended donation from $1.50 to $2. Ken Jones, who oversees 32 nutrition sites in eight counties for the Area Agency on Aging, said the Comanche County program is in better shape than many others, especially rural programs. The county’s sites attract a large number of diners, which makes them more efficient. In some of the counties that he oversees, sites have eliminated a meal each week, providing a take-home meal instead of having staff man the center that day. More reductions, he said, could lead to more layoffs of staff. If that happens, programs would attempt to have volunteers take over instead of closing sites. More cuts could come Jones isn’t optimistic that the cuts made so far will be rescinded, and more cuts may be coming. He’s making tentative plans to deal with them, primarily be reducing administrative expenses. Justice said she is planning a fundraiser in January but doesn’t yet what it will be. The nutrition project will start selling cookbooks for $10 on Dec. 1. After the publishing costs, the cookbook brings the project enough for two meals. For information, to volunteer or to purchase a cookbook, call 357-7764 or visit the Lawton Nutrition Project, 920 S. Sheridan, in the Great Plains Coliseum Prairie Building. JEFF DIXON/STAFF Lettie Davis, right front, Lourena Oatis, Jimmy Rogers, left front, and Barbara Rogers enjoy a meal and good conversation at the Patterson Center on Friday.