HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Boosts Funding for Meals Provider

The City Council this week more than doubled its contribution to Feedback Foundation Inc. to ease a budget crisis that threatened the organization’s delivery of meals for low-income seniors.

The council unanimously approved an additional $9,017 for the group, on top of an earlier $8,700 allocation in the city budget for the current fiscal year.

Feedback Foundation, which provides free or low-cost meals to seniors throughout the county, requested the extra funding to help offset rising food costs coupled with a decrease in donations, said Ronald Hagan, the city’s community services director.

In Huntington Beach, the organization offers meals to the downtown Rodgers Seniors Center, where the city last fall consolidated the foundation’s outreach centers.

The move boosted efficiency, Hagan said. Otherwise, he said, the foundation’s request for additional funds would have been even higher.

Since the foundation closed two annexes to combine all meal services at the Rodgers center, it has served about 100 meals per day compared to about 65 previously. Also, the group is delivering 170 meals a day to homebound seniors, up from 130.

Among other economy measures, the foundation has reduced the program counselor’s weekly work schedule from five days to two, hiked the suggested price for meals to $1.50 from 70 cents and has organized fund-raising events.