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Commissioner Howard Highlights $100,000 in Recovery Funding for Senior Nutrition Programs in Mercer County
TRENTON – Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard today visited a kitchen located at Capital Health Systems-Mercer Campus that prepares home delivered meals for Mobile Meals of Trenton/Ewing to highlight more than $100,000 in additional funding that Mercer County has received to bolster its senior nutrition efforts.
“With the economic downturn impacting retirees and with more frail seniors opting to remain at home with services rather than move into long-term care facilities, the demand for both congregate and home delivered meals is at an all-time high in New Jersey,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine. “These additional federal funds could not have come at a better time.”
Commissioner Howard said the new funding was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and represents the county’s share of more than $2.6 million distributed to senior nutrition programs statewide. The ARRA funding will provide tens of thousands of meals to an additional 3,000 seniors around the state.
New Jersey’s Senior Nutrition Program, which has congregate and home delivered meal components, currently provides 6 million meals to 63,000 seniors each year. Congregate meals are those provided in a central location such as a senior center or community site. Home delivered meals are reserved for those who cannot leave their homes due to failing health.
“This funding will continue to strengthen New Jersey’s safety net for our seniors,” Commissioner Howard said. “These funds will be put to good – and immediate – use.”
The commissioner spoke with administrators, staff, volunteers and local officials at the meal preparation site for Mobile Meals of Trenton at Capital Health Systems’ Mercer Campus in Trenton. She then joined a volunteer to drop off meals on a route in Trenton.
Governor Corzine announced receipt of the new federal dollars in mid-May. The funding is part of $100 million being made available for senior nutrition services nationwide by the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nationally, ARRA is providing $65 million for congregate meals, $32 million for home delivered meals and $3 million for Native American nutrition programs.
Of the ARRA nutrition funds distributed to New Jersey, the 21 county-based Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) have received $1.7 million to be used for congregate nutrition programs and $914,259 for home delivered meals. The funding distributed to each AAA (see attached chart) was made in accordance with a formula developed and implemented by the AoA.
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Department of Health and Senior Services |
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Division of Aging and Community Services |
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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Allocations |
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County |
ARRA Congregate |
ARRA Home Delivered |
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Atlantic |
$57,283 |
$30,475 |
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Bergen |
$187,855 |
$99,940 |
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Burlington |
$74,461 |
$39,614 |
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Camden |
$98,139 |
$52,210 |
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Cape May |
$27,306 |
$14,527 |
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Cumberland |
$33,431 |
$17,785 |
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Essex |
$193,549 |
$102,969 |
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Gloucester |
$42,400 |
$22,557 |
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Hudson |
$154,169 |
$82,018 |
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Hunterdon |
$15,526 |
$8,260 |
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Mercer |
$69,806 |
$37,137 |
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Middlesex |
$134,247 |
$71,420 |
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Monmouth |
$110,221 |
$58,638 |
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Morris |
$74,747 |
$39,766 |
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Ocean |
$135,163 |
$71,907 |
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Passaic |
$99,351 |
$52,855 |
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Salem |
$13,363 |
$7,109 |
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Somerset |
$45,508 |
$24,210 |
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Sussex |
$17,484 |
$9,301 |
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Union |
$117,396 |
$62,455 |
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Warren |
$17,117 |
$9,106 |
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TOTALS |
$1,718,522 |
$914,259 |
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