ANAHEIM : Donations Void Cuts for Feedback Group

The Feedback Foundation Inc., a charitable group which was on the verge of cutting back its meal service to senior citizens due to lack of funds, has received enough emergency donations to continue regular service at its two Anaheim locations.

Donations of nearly $7,000 from Hunt-Wesson Foods Inc., the county Multi-Purpose Senior Service Project and Anaheim residents will allow the program, which delivers free meals to the elderly at homes and community centers, to continue without cutbacks.

“It was just all coming in,” said Shirley Cohen, executive director of the foundation.

The program was in jeopardy earlier this month when the organization fell short of funds and the city was unable to provide the foundation with enough funding to keep the meal service going.

To meet the budget shortfall, Feedback decided to close down its two Anaheim locations--George Washington Community Center and the West Anaheim Senior Center--one day a week.

“I was getting all these phone calls and letters, not just from Anaheim, but from people all over the county,” Cohen said. “People were getting real upset.”

Feedback Foundation provides meals for seniors in 14 cities throughout the county, and serves about 225 seniors lunches daily at its two Anaheim sites.

In addition, it offers a lunch-delivery service, bringing food to seniors in their homes every weekday. In Anaheim, it furnishes about 117 meals to seniors’ homes.

Of those receiving the meals at home, the foundation estimated that service to 24 seniors would have been cut if the extra money had not been donated. Cohen said the foundation is still unable to serve seniors now on the waiting list for in-home meals.

The group has designated May as its fund-raising month and plans to keep soliciting funds for the coming fiscal year.