ROCKDALE, Texas — Rockdale resident Rodney Polk used to cook all time.
He still does, but it's harder to move around.
"When I had my decline in my mobility is when I had my hip replacement," he said.
He can't stand for long periods of time, and like 60 other seniors, he relies on the Rockdale Senior Citizens Center's "Meals on Wheels" program.
Across the U.S., the population of adults 65-years-old and older has increased by nearly 51 million from 1920 to 2020, according to Census data.
About 70% of that population are persons with disabilities, according to the Pew Research Center.
"For a lot of them they cannot get up and go out. I have a lot of them in wheelchairs, and they depend upon that meal," Director Carolyn Cooper said.
Cooper said the Meals on Wheels program has been running since at least the 1960s.
The center delivers a hot meal three days a week and frozen meals two days a week for only $3.
"We try and make sure everyone knows we're here, and we are trying to make sure everyone gets fed," Cooper said. "We're not turning anyone away."
But the program is trying to expand to serving five days a week.
They just need more donations.
"That's the great thing about 'Meals on Wheels.' You guys give me a balanced meal that I need cause if it wasn't for them, I'd eat junk food most of the time," Polk said.
To sign up for the program or donate, visit the center during its open hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
