Group celebrates funds' restoration

AIKEN --- Needy elderly residents who rely on Meals on Wheels to feed them every day or help out with their electric bills aren't being cut off.

State legislators put back money for the program that Gov. Mark Sanford had cut over concerns the funds weren't available.

Had that money not been restored for the 2008-09 fiscal year, dozens of seniors would have lost a free, daily meal, and hundreds more would have been cut off from help paying their electric bills.

Scott Murphy, the executive director of the Aiken Area Council on Aging, said he's relieved the funding was restored.

Although his agency only began the program a year ago, those elderly residents have already come to "totally" rely on them, he said.

"We would have done everything we could to secure funding to avoid that," Mr. Murphy said.

A couple of months ago, Mr. Sanford said he didn't want to give another $2.9 million to the state Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging, which sent that money to local agencies.

The Aiken agency used its share to add more seniors to its meal program and start an energy assistance program, helping cash-strapped seniors pay electric bills.

Mr. Murphy said his organization added another 80 seniors to the daily meals and helped out 470 with their electric bills.

Reach Sandi Martin at (803) 648-1395, ext. 111, or sandi.martin@augustachronicle.com