COUNTYWIDE : 6 Cities Increase Aid to Meals for Seniors

The Feedback Foundation, which provides meals for senior citizens in 14 Orange County cities, has persuaded six of those cities to contribute more money to the organization.

When the foundation first made its appeal toward the end of last year, contributions from cities accounted for 4% of what it costs to deliver and serve meals to seniors, said Ronald Gray, the group’s finance director. The Feedback Foundation hopes to receive 10% of the site costs from each city after donations from senior citizens and volunteer work are taken into account.

“Some of them have been great,” said Executive Director Shirley A. Cohen. “Other cities make us feel like we’re, begging and we don’t like that at all.”

The organization serves 1,800 meals a day throughout the county and delivers 900 meals a day to homebound seniors, Cohen said.

Brea, which had granted the organization $2,000 a year in the past, approved an increase of $10,133 this month for a total of $12,133. Placentia agreed to add $8,038 to its grant of $4,500. Costa Mesa, which had allotted $7,500 for the year, approved an additional $34,900, and Santa Ana added $33,887 to the $50,000 it had already granted.

Orange and Villa Park, which had not donated to the organization in the past, agreed to begin paying for some of the costs incurred in those cities. Orange approved contributing $8,130 and Villa Park granted $413.

Other cities are in the process of increasing their donations or haven’t given Feedback Foundation officials an indication of whether they will, Gray said.

“We agreed that it was not fair for one city to pay (its) fair share and for another city not to,” Cohen said. “So if another city doesn’t pay its fair share, we’ll cut the programs there.”

Because of the economy, Feedback and other charities have a more difficult time raising private funds, she said. For example, a “walkathon” fund-raiser held last month generated $10,000 less than in 1989.

The Feedback Foundation has also seen a decrease in the donations from the senior citizens it serves because of an increase in the costs of rent, medicine and other items, Cohen said.

Budget cuts last spring forced the organization to stop serving breakfast to seniors. The group now serves only lunch at its sites and some dinners.