Budget cuts will force the non-profit in Fort Bend County to cut back on the number of meals delivered to seniors, even as the need arises during the shutdown.
ROSENBERG, Texas — Meals on Wheels programs in the Houston area are feeling the squeeze, hit by deep federal funding cuts and ripple effects from the ongoing government shutdown.
For the first time in its 50-year history, Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels will reduce home-delivered meals from seven per week to five starting on Jan. 1, 2026.
The nonprofit currently serves more than 1,300 seniors across Fort Bend and Waller counties.
Executive Director Doug Simpson said they need to fill a $400,000 gap to keep the program running at full strength.
“We didn’t want to put anybody on a waitlist, we’ve never had a waitlist, and we didn’t want to take anybody off the program,” Simpson told KHOU 11.
The change means roughly 70,000 fewer meals next year, though every client will still receive weekday service.
“These are homebound seniors, people that can’t run to H-E-B to get their food, they’re in their homes without a way to get out, so it was devastating, honestly,” Simpson said.
He told us that calls for help are rising, many from seniors whose SNAP benefits have been delayed due to the shutdown.
“It’s just a lot of uncertainty, especially among the very vulnerable population,” he explained.
We met 96-year-old Walter Heckelmann, a longtime Meals on Wheels volunteer, on Friday, who now depends on the program himself. He had just finished one of his delivered meals.
“Three meatballs with rice, carrots and beans,” Hecklemann told KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi. He said the daily check-ins matter just as much as the food.
“You go there not just to deliver a meal, I went there basically to have them talk to somebody who was alive,” Heckelmann said.
In neighboring counties, Interfaith Ministries’ Meals on Wheels, now operating as IM Houston, serves about 6,000 seniors across Harris and Galveston counties.
Chief Program Officer Ali Al-Sudani said they also faced funding cuts this year but, for now, haven’t reduced services thanks to emergency donations from the community.
“Three hundred seniors were in question about whether they would lose their lunches and meal delivery, but thanks to the generosity of the community and corporate partners, we were able to come up with the funds,” Al-Sudani told us.
Both organizations say they’re feeling the effects of the shutdown as more seniors turn to them for food assistance. They’re urging the community to step up through donations and volunteering to keep meals and wellness checks going.
How to help
Check the non-profits’ websites for ways to donate or volunteer.
Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels