Senior centers brace for surge as SNAP cuts deepen during shutdown

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Local senior centers in the Coachella Valley are preparing for a surge in demand as SNAP benefits come to a stop amid the ongoing government shutdown. Tens of thousands of older adults now face difficult choices about how to put food on the table, and many are turning to local meal programs for assistance.

At the Mizell Senior Center, long lines were already forming Monday as seniors waited for what some described as their only hot meal of the day. The center, which operates the only Meals on Wheels and Senior Nutrition Program in the region, serves and delivers nearly 600 meals each week.

“It’s so critical. These folks are participants in the Riverside County Office on Aging Senior Nutrition program and so they’ve demonstrated need and food insecurity.”

Rob Wheeler, Mizell Center Executive Director

With SNAP benefits in jeopardy, the center is ramping up meal preparation in anticipation of higher demand. Riverside County estimates that roughly 53,000 seniors rely on SNAP benefits, many of whom will start feeling the impact this week.

Russ Learn, a local senior, relies heavily on the meals provided by the Mizell Center. Though he is not a SNAP recipient, he and his husband, who suffered a stroke a few years ago, depend on other forms of government assistance.

“If you want to live on a day-to-day basis, you have to plan ahead to make sure it’s going to last a whole month and with the costs of living going the way it is, it becomes very difficult... We do get government assistance. I am a disabled veteran so I’m concerned about what they going to be doing.”

Russ Learn, Palm Desert Resident

Despite the uncertainty, staff and volunteers at the Mizell Center say they are ready to meet the growing need.

"We have fantastic volunteers. We have about 60 active volunteers each week and a large number of them are here in the nutrition program. They’re really excited to step up along with the staff.”

Rob Wheeler, Mizell Center Executive Director

For some seniors, the support from the center provides stability in an otherwise uncertain time.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.