Meals on Wheels see influx of clients

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Emergency SNAP benefits officially expired in March, and recipients of SNAP emergency allotment benefits noticed a reduction in their monthly benefits.

In Mesa County, there’s an increase in the number of seniors that need food assistance after the Department of Human Services estimates an average reduction of $90 per person each month.

Amanda De Bock, director of Meals on Wheels Mesa County, says inflation and demand spikes are putting the nonprofit in a tough spot. Right now, it’s spending 19 percent more per person on food than it was last year, and it’s only getting worse.

“When I first took over the program six years ago, we were serving about $100,000 meals a year,” said De Bock. “We’ve served well over 206,000 already this year. So the need is always increasing whether you have the SNAP benefits difference or not.”

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