A food program serving meals to area shut-ins has been propped up by Beaufort County commissioners.

On Nov. 3, county commissioners voted 7-0 to step in where the federal government has cut budgeting to finance the program where rising meal prices and administrative costs have forced the county’s Department of Social Services to reassess their programs.

“We have had to look to see how much services we can provide,” Geoff Marett, assistant director of DSS, told commissioners at Monday’s meeting.

There are two services providing meals: one to the homebound, commonly referred to as Meals on Wheels; the other, a congregate nutrition program that has provided lunches five days a week at East Havens Apartments on East Third Street in Washington.

The 3.1-percent budget cut, however, forced DSS officials to reexamine the programs and make changes. A list of 60 recipients of home delivered meals was reevaluated and whittled down to 35 recipients — those who had other options were removed from the list.

“Most of the people that were cut had in-home aid that could cook,” Marett said.

The congregate nutrition site averages 35 meals a day to the elderly and those living on fixed income. In order to continue the program, DSS has been weighing its options, and whether to serve those meals only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to accommodate the new budget. According to Lori Leggett, Adult Home Care Specialist at DSS, there are no other programs providing meals to the elderly in the area.

Marett asked commissioners to make up for the budget shortfall for the fiscal year: $3,200 for the difference between the 35 home-delivered meals currently being provided and accommodating two more recipients that are on a waiting list; and $7,600 to provide 40 meals at the congregate site — six more than the budget allows.

Commissioners voted to approve the funds for home-delivered meals, but asked Marett to return to next month’s regular meeting with more information, and figures, about the congregate nutrition program.

Marett said the DSS committee charged with finding solutions for the programs is also trying to solicit support from within the community through donations and grants.