The anti-hunger program Meals on Wheels San Antonio is facing a growing number of challenges. The need for its services continues to grow with inflation driving up the cost of food and government cuts to SNAP, while federal funding is also being slashed.
The nonprofit serves more than 4,000 homebound seniors in Bexar and surrounding counties each weekday, delivering hot meals, conducting wellness checks and providing social contact.
Meals on Wheels San Antonio services extend well beyond meal delivery.
In its “More Than a Meal” suite, the organization also offers a pet-food program, AniMeals, delivering thousands of pounds of dog or cat food each month to clients who otherwise might divert their own meals to feed their pets. There is also a friendship/visitor service (“Friendly Visitor”) to help isolated seniors with social connection. A home-safety program called “Comfy Casas” provides minor home repairs and safety fixes to enable older adults to live independently. And there is the Alzheimer’s-service via the affiliation with Grace Place Alzheimer’s Activity Center, supporting seniors with dementia and their families.
Despite this wide array of core services, the agency recently announced that it would suspend deliveries to approximately 350 clients starting November 3 after there was a sudden sharp cut in funding from the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), which dropped its senior-meal services allocation from $3.28 million last year to $2 million this year. The funding reduction is tied to the phase-out of federal relief dollars.
Community partners have stepped in to temporarily fill the funding void. The restaurant chain Bill Miller Bar‑B‑Q pledged a donation of $192,000, covering the gap and preserving service through January 2026. Meanwhile, grocery-chain H‑E‑B committed $1 million to the statewide Meals on Wheels Texas network as part of a broader $5 million push to food-security programs in the region.
Guest:
Vinsen Faris is the CEO to Meals On Wheels San Antonio.
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This interview will be recorded live Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at 12:30 p.m.
