HHS Announces Grants to Provide Meals for Older Adults

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday announced $250 million in grants from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to help communities provide meals for seniors. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 18, provided the additional funding for the nutrition services programs authorized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965. These programs provide meals to over 2.4 million older men and women each year, both via home delivery and in such places as community centers. The need for these services has mushroomed as community measures to slow transmission of the coronavirus have shuttered meal sites and left many caregivers unable to assist their senior loved ones.