Invitation to Congressman Designed to Show Need for Funding

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Published on April 5 2016 3:38 pm
Last Updated on April 5 2016 3:38 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

(LOCAL RESIDENT TOM PALMER {right} WAS CONGRESSMAN JOHN SHIMKUS' DRIVER DURING HIS "MEALS ON WHEELS" DELIVERIES MONDAY)

Local Congressman John Shimkus was in Effingham Monday to help make deliveries as part of the Meals on Wheels program.

It was also an opportunity to show the legislator the problems a lack of funding is causing the program.

The CEFS Golden Circle Nutrition Program has provided congregate meals at sites around the county for many years. A lack of state funding, though, has caused the Effingham and Beecher City sites to cut back to four-days-a-week operations. Altamont, Dieterich and Teutopolis are still open five days a week, due to holding their own fundraisers to provide dollars.

The Meals on Wheels home-delivered lunches are provided to those who are generally unable to travel to the congregate sites.

While Shimkus is a federal legislator and not directly involved in the state budget debacle, he got an earful from a couple of those in attendance Monday about the need for funding to allow the service to operate each weekday.