When the Franklin County Commissioners approved a $5.18 million budget on June 30, Seniors Plus found it had received $4,000 less than the $34,000 it had requested.

If funding at the county and state level dries up, so does the federal funding keeping the lights on at Seniors Plus, the area’s nonprofit agency on aging that provides free meals, education and referral services.

Connie Jones, director of community services, said the agency’s budget is $1.3 million for all of its services in Franklin, Oxford and Androscoggin counties. About 68 percent of that is federal grant money through the Older Americans Act, 14 percent is state grants, and the remainder is private funding, including municipal and United Way donations, Jones said.

Jones said the agency has to raise about $180,000 in community support to match federal dollars or start seeing that money disappear.

The loss of county funding highlights the difficulty the agency faces in holding together its financial resources, Jones said, even as the program looks to expand some of its services.

District 3 County Commissioner Clyde Barker said he sought a cut to the agency’s request for $4,000 more than last year’s budget allocation of $30,000 because of what he sees as a “Mason-Dixon Line” between Farmington and points north. In fact, Barker asked that $10,000 be taken from Seniors Plus’ request, leaving them with $24,000.

“My area was not getting covered by them, and I felt that that would be enough,” Barker said. His district consists of 15 towns, including Avon, Carrabassett Valley and Rangeley, as well as five unorganized townships. “I’d like to see my seniors taken care of,” he said, adding that Seniors Plus “can’t seem to get a hot meal above Farmington.”

Barker said that if seniors could get the same treatment in his district, he would be more supportive, “but I don’t think the seniors are getting a good shake up there. My people are just as good as anybody else, you know.”

Jones said the mission of Seniors Plus is to keep the elderly living at home independently as long as possible through Meals on Wheels, elder-care classes and a variety of supports and referral services.

In response to Barker, Jones said the cost of delivering hot meals daily is a problem, especially given the distances that volunteers travel. Meals on Wheels clients north of Farmington and in much of Oxford County receive a hot meal on the day of delivery as well as frozen meals prepared at Seniors Plus headquarters in Lewiston. Clients also receive fresh fruit, bread, milk and dessert.

“We do about 105,000 meals across the three counties,” Jones said. She said that because of increased need and decreased funding at the federal level, the agency no longer can provide a hot meal every day.

“Every time you go, you’re doing three things for them. You’re giving them a good, nutritious meal, but it’s also a safety check,” she said. Jones said workers arrive with meals all too often to find clients in a medical emergency.

The third part of the program is socialization. Jones said many clients in rural parts of the state live alone, are unable to drive and are far away from any human contact.

Jones’ favorite Franklin County story is about a couple who lived in Stratton. The couple had moved back to Maine to help their own aging parents before finding themselves older and in need of Meals on Wheels. Jones said one day one of them called to cancel meal delivery. The coordinator found it strange that their situation would change suddenly, so she called the couple to ask why.

The couple said their freezer, where they kept their frozen meals, had broken and they couldn’t afford a new one. The coordinator found a replacement on Craigslist and decided to take up an office collection to buy it. Upon learning about the circumstances, the seller wouldn’t take any money for it, donating the freezer for the couple instead. The working freezer was filled with food and taken to the couple.

In combating isolation, Jones said, the agency has put together another program that helps get seniors out of the home. Clients can receive vouchers for a donation to Seniors Plus that will allow them to go to participating restaurants and buy a meal with a voucher. The meals available are on special menus designed by a licensed dietitian to guarantee a nutritious meal.

Jones said the program is growing. Two participating restaurants are the Chuck Wagon in Livermore Falls and Brickyard Cafe in Farmington.

Douglas McIntire — 861-9252

[email protected]

Twitter: @CD_McIntire