ANAHEIM : Meals to Be Reduced for Senior Citizens

A countywide organization that provides meals to senior citizens will reduce services at two Anaheim locations after the city’s refusal to provide additional funding.

Beginning April 17, the Feedback Foundation Inc. will no longer serve lunches on Wednesdays at the West Anaheim Senior Center. Thursday lunches will be discontinued starting April 18 at the George Washington Community Center. Lunches will still be served the other four weekdays at both locations.

In recent weeks, the organization has lobbied all 14 Orange County cities it serves and the county for extra funds to keep the meal programs going. All the cities contributed except Anaheim and Tustin, which is still considering granting the funds.

“It’s difficult for us to continue our service when the prices go up and we don’t receive additional funding,” said Shirley Cohen, executive director of the organization. “As costs go up, somebody has to pay for it.”

Last summer, Anaheim gave Feedback Foundation $50,000 as part of its regular contribution and added an extra $5,000 last month when asked for more money. But the foundation had requested about $12,000 last month and lobbied the city to make up the difference.

Anaheim City Council members said they had already supplied the foundation with as much financial help as the city could afford and that the group would need to wait for upcoming budget talks to request additional funds.

Anaheim is facing its first significant sales tax revenue loss in a decade, and is planning to cut its budget substantially this summer.

Feedback Foundation now serves about 225 lunches daily at its two Anaheim sites.