Local churches have banded together to provide senior citizens at Meadows Point Apartments, La Mesa West Apartments and the Enid congregate site with a Friday meal and meals during Christ-mastime.

Members of the churches had been bringing Wheat-heart Nutrition meals to seniors at the apartments, but Wheatheart, due to a $230,000 budget cut from Department of Human Services, had to eliminate its Friday meals, furlough em-ployees, close during the holiday and close some of its kitchens.

The churches have been providing Friday meals to Meadows Point Apartments and La Mesa West Apart-ments since Nov. 6.

Willow Road Christian Church, Christian Church of the Covenant, Central Christ-ian Church and University Place Christian Church, along with a NODA representative and a Food Share America representative, met last month to decide if and how they could assist more seniors in Enid and surrounding areas with meals.

“Because of the generous support we have received from the community, we have made a commitment to feed those that go to the Enid congregate site,” said Carrell Still, pastor for Willow Road Christian Church. “We had a gift of $1,500 from an individual and we have had other gifts from the congregation and the community. With that kind of support, we felt we wanted to fill the needs of more people.”

The churches also have committed to provide meals to seniors at Mea-dows Point Apart-ments, La Mesa West Apartments and the Enid congregate site during the time Wheatheart will be closed for the Christmas season.

“We had some outside interest and people made donations to our cause,” said Earla Haggard, lay person at Willow Road Christian Church and local coordinator of Food Share America. “Because of those donations and because Wheatheart is going to be shut down from the 24th (of December) to the 3rd (of January), so the seniors will get no meals, we decided to use that money and what the churches have to buy meals for the seniors at Meadows Point Apartments and La Mesa West Apartments and for the seniors at the congregate site.”

There have been a few hurdles for the churches to overcome when taking on the congregate site. There have been problems finding enough freezer space for all the frozen meals needed, and the estimated number of seniors who eat at the site has increased.

“When we first found out about the Enid congregate site we were told about 44 people ate there,” Haggard said. “As the weather gets cold that site’s number grows. We are trying to take care of the ones we have committed to, as well as the extras.”

Recently, the churches were able to provide Friday meals for other community sites.

“Due to a communication error, they shipped us duplicate meals, which was a blessing in disguise. I took meals not only to the Enid congregate site but also Waukomis, Billings and Garber. We spread it around the best we could,” Haggard said.

People have been grateful for what they have received, according to the Rev. John McLemore, pastor of Central Christian Church.

“When people delivered it, they gave us a standing ovation. What they are receiving, they are very appreciative of,” he said.

The Enid Wheat-heart kitchen is slated to close at the beginning of 2010.

“It is still slated. That is what the board voted,” said Marianne Gutierrez, Wheat-heart project director. “There is no funding reversal yet. Un-less there is funding change very quickly, it is still slated to close Jan. 1. We hate this. We truly hate to lose employees that have worked for us for 20 years. We were really hoping for some funding.

“It is sad. We are all very sad.”

Enid’s kitchen is being stepped down in production, and cooking duties are being delegated to other kitchens.

“They are only cooking for Enid as of today. They used to cook for Waukomis and Kingfisher. They are now being cooked for in Ringwood. Pond Creek is being cooked for in Black-well,” Gutierrez said.

Enid is not the only community stepping up to help provide meals for seniors left without meals. According to Gutierrez, almost all the Wheatheart Nutrition sites are being helped by the communities they are in.

“There were some sites that weren’t covered. Of our 16 sites, all but two have organizations or churches or civic groups or business provided meals,” Gutierrez said. “Everyone is doing it in their own particular way. They are being very creative. We are very happy the need is being met.”

The Wheatheart sites in Watonga and Helena have not received community help to provide meals for seniors, Gutierrez said.

The churches will be meeting again Thursday afternoon to discuss trying to provide meals to more senior citizens.

“The real focus now is to see if we can find a way to pick up the slack for all the groups. It is really amazing the response and support we have gotten,” McLemore said.

DHS cut $7.4 million from senior nutrition programs statewide after Oklahoma officials, trying to cope with declining revenues, ordered 5 percent cuts in the budget allocations of all state agencies.

Wheatheart is furloughing staff members for 44 days, which means meals no longer are served on Fridays or holidays. Also, the Enid kitchen will be shut down and moved to Garber because operating costs are cheaper there.

State leaders have been looking at the senior nutrition issue and trying to find a solution.

Under one proposal, DHS would restore nutrition programs provided the agency receives a $7.4 million supplemental appropriation when the Legislature convenes in February.

State Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, wants Gov. Brad Henry to dedicate five percent of his $105 million in discretionary federal economic stimulus money for nutrition programs. But, the governor has said those funds already are committed to one-time projects.