By 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, hundreds of people had already arrived for the Hands Off! rally in Rancho Mirage, at the intersection of Frank Sinatra Drive and Highway 111—even though the event didn’t start until noon.
Many of the early arrivers were seniors, some of whom carried signs declaring, “Hands Off Social Security—We Earned It!” or, in one instance, “Keep Your Tiny Hands Off My Social Security!”
Much of the passing traffic honked in support of the demonstrators, which added to the sense of controlled chaos in the midst of this outpouring of frustration and anger at the new Trump administration’s actions to cut multiple forms of financial, nutritional and housing support for Americans. According to my estimate, the crowd eventually numbered around 2,500.
Jim Gallagher, a senior, stood on the northeast curb at the crosswalk for Highway 111 with a smile on his face as he took in the scene.
“I’m happy to be here,” Gallagher said. “I think it’s important. I think the cumulative effect of when they start seeing the numbers in the thousands (of protestors), we have a chance to move this in our direction.”
On the south side of Highway 111, Philip Novak, also senior, and a friend stood along the roadway and waved their signs at passing motorists. I asked what brought him to the rally.
“Trump’s outrageous presidency. It’s unbelievable,” Novak said. “We have a criminal in the White House just surrounded by sycophants. It’s chaotic beyond belief, destructive, cruel, mean and evil. I don’t see any redeeming features. … The inability to tamp him down, to limit his power, is just driving people out to scream on sidewalks, and I hope that it builds a kind of energy that will move the people who can do something, (like) the Republicans in Congress or the Supreme Court, to take those fundamental steps.”
Seniors across the country are becoming increasingly concerned about whether they’ll continue receiving the monthly Social Security payments they paid for to help finance their retirement years. After all, recent executive orders, legislative actions and moves by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency have called into question the reliability of various commitments by the federal government to its citizens.
For instance, in late March, FIND Food Bank CEO and President Debbie Espinosa received word that the federal government was halting $500 million worth of food shipments previously promised to nutrition-assistance organizations nationwide. Locally, that meant 10 truckloads of meat and poultry products would not arrive to supplement the diets of local low-income families and individuals.
“Is it of concern?” Espinosa asked rhetorically during a recent interview with the Independent. “Yes, of course, it’s of concern, because we want to make sure that we can keep all of the food and funding sources strong. … We talked to our congressional leaders. Both Congressman (Raul) Ruiz and Congressman (Ken) Calvert have taken my phone calls immediately when we knew that there was going to be proposals to cut federal nutrition programs, and I’ve been very clear with them about what the effects could potentially be when there’s any kind of decreases in the federal nutrition programs, and the effects that it could potentially have in our community. They were definitely listening and hearing what we were saying about the impacts, not just to FIND Food Bank’s food flow, but to the food flow of all of the agencies that we distribute food to, and ultimately, the effect that it will have on the people who are food-insecure in our valley, during a time when we still have a heightened amount of people who are being served.”
FIND Food Bank currently feeds an average of 125,000 people every month, of which more than 28,000 are seniors. FIND’s 175 distribution sites include nearly 100 nonprofit community organizations (like soup kitchens, religious organizations and food pantries) and 46 free community mobile markets, serving food deserts and low-income areas.
Fortunately, locals are stepping up to help: On April 4, the 15th annual FIND Food Bank telethon on KESQ News Channel 3 brought in $354,200 in personal and corporate donations to bolster the food bank’s financial reserves.
On April 10, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a federal budget blueprint which calls for a $1.5 trillion reduction in federal spending over the next decade.
While it remains to be seen what those cuts would entail—and whether the budget, or anything close to it, will be approved by the Senate during the reconciliation process—alarm bells are ringing in the halls of Meals on Wheels America (MoWA). MoWA is the nation’s leading nutritional and quality-of-life support organization for seniors, responsible for funding some 251 million meals annually, going to more than 2 million individuals.
On April 10, an email was sent by the MoWA’s advocacy group located in Arlington, Va., to the leadership of more than 5,000 community organizations across the nation. One of those recipients was Rob Wheeler, executive director of the Mizell Center, which runs the regional Meals on Wheels operation that provides meals, social connection and personal safety checks to local seniors in need.
The email warned: “Of particular concern for Meals on Wheels are proposed spending cuts to federal safety-net programs. … These cuts could potentially affect programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) Program, all of which play a role in supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities. Meals on Wheels (America) will continue to monitor these developments closely and oppose all efforts to eliminate funding for SSBG or other programs that our network relies on. We are committed to advocating for the protection of critical funding that enables you to serve older adults in your communities.”
Concerns also stem from the layoffs of 40 percent of the employees at the federal Administration for Community Living, the Department of Health and Human Services agency which funds Meals on Wheels.
The Independent both spoke to and exchanged emails with Wheeler; he discussed the demand that the Mizell Center’s recently renovated and expanded Meals on Wheels/communal service kitchen is meeting.
“For March 2025, there were 5,116 meals served (through our) communal dining, and 5,671 meals were delivered. Communal dining includes Mizell Center and four other senior centers in Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio, for which Mizell Center provides meals,” Wheeler said. “The total number of unique Meals on Wheels clients for March 2025 was 1,305, representing 1,021 communal dining clients and 284 home delivery clients. … That is a lot of nutrition, sustenance and connection for seniors in the Coachella Valley (who) otherwise would go without.”
Proof of the serious need for Meals on Wheel’s services comes from the 2022 community health survey, conducted by local nonprofit HARC (Health Assessment and Research for Communities).
“We learned through that survey that the valley is home to about 178,000 seniors, 55 and older, and that about 14% (or almost 25,000) of those have an income of $20,000 or less per year,” Wheeler said. “That tells us that there are a lot of folks in the valley who are struggling economically, and it makes our nutrition program, our partnership with the county for Meals on Wheels, so vital and so important.
“We have really terrific individual and foundation support to back up our Meals on Wheels (funding). Our contract with the county requires us to pay 10% of the program, so the county funds 90%, and we fund 10%—about $180,000 a year that we’re raising, and we’re able to do that.”
“At this time, there’s uncertainty of exactly how changes at the federal level will impact us locally for senior safety-net services.”
Brooke Federico, director of communications for Riverside County
A sizeable portion of those aforementioned county funds originate with the federal government, which passes on set amounts to the state, which then feeds those funds to each of the counties.
The Independent reached out to Brooke Federico, the director of communications for Riverside County, to inquire about the stability of that funding stream. She replied with a statement which read, in part: “At this time, there’s uncertainty of exactly how changes at the federal level will impact us locally for senior safety-net services. We are actively engaged in monitoring developments, advocating for our interests, and preparing for multiple scenarios. We have strong relationships with our elected officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., as we have like interests—to provide essential services to all residents, including seniors in Riverside County.”
The statement went on to urge local seniors in need of assistance to apply for self-sufficiency public benefits online at BenefitsCal.com; by calling the Self Sufficiency customer service line at 877-410-8827; or by visiting a county Department of Public Social Services office.
Simply put: A significant number of the Coachella Valley’s most vulnerable residents, young and old, could lose life-changing and life-saving services if the new Trump administration does not start acting in a more responsible and analytical fashion while determining where any purported fraud, waste and abuse truly exists in our federal bureaucracy.
One of those people is Jim Gallagher, one of the aforementioned protesters in Rancho Mirage on April 5.
“I’m retired, and I’m hoping my Social Security doesn’t go away,” Gallagher said. “But we’ve got to save our country. It’s important.”
Locals Who Receive Assistance, by the Numbers
The California Budget and Policy Center (CBPC), according to its website, “strives to be an anti-racist organization, advancing policy solutions that expand economic opportunity and promote well-being for Californians blocked from the state’s wealth.”
In March, the CBPC issued a report documenting how the financial and health security of millions of Californians could be harmed if the federal spending cuts under discussion are implemented. Research performed by the CBPC shows how many Californians are presently receiving nutritional and financial aid that, at least in part, is funded by the federal government.
Portions of two congressional districts cover the Coachella Valley: Rep. Raul Ruiz’s District 25, and Rep. Ken Calvert’s District 41. Here’s a breakdown, per district, of CBPC data regarding five aid programs, showing how many people receive assistance, the percentage of the population those recipients represent, and the total amount of annual spending on those programs.
CalWorks
The state’s welfare program
- District 25: 14,529 (5.6 percent), $101.4 million
- District 41: 11,844 (5.9 percent), $75.4 million
Supplemental Security Income
The program administered by the Social Security Administration that “provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources”
- District 25: 30,873 (16.4%), $271.9 million
- District 41: 12,560 (6.1%), $119.6 million
Medi-Cal
The state’s Medicaid program
- District 25: 427,700 (56%), $5.04 billion
- District 41: 256,180 (34%), $2.94 billion
CalFresh
The state’s nutritional assistance program
- District 25: 168,600 (22%), $388.095 million
- District 41: 84,800 (11%) $195.242 million
School Meals Program
- District 25: 100,058 (72% of children in K-12 schools eligible), $68.302 million
- District 41: 93,916 (71% of children in K-12 schools eligible), $54,547 million