Hood County Sheriff dispatch audio reveals an elderly person in a critical situation. The man, who CBS News Texas is not identifying, called the sheriff’s office with a weak voice seeking help.

DISPATCH: Hood County 911, what’s your emergency?

CALLER: I’m calling to get someone to bring water to my house.

DISPATCH: To do what?

CALLER: Get someone to bring water to my house.

A rise in the dispatcher’s voice conveyed a sense of shock in the request. However, the weak voice on the end kept calm.

DISPATCH: Like, is there something going on?

CALLER: Yeah, I’m out of water.

DISPATCH  You’re out of water?

CALLER: Yes, sir.

DISPATCH: Okay, so you called 911.

CALLER: Yes.

The deputy connected the man in his 70s to the pantry at the Granbury Church of Christ. The meals from the church would get delivered, but it wasn’t enough. The man had called the emergency line at least twice. He became more specific.

CALLER: Well, I have no water.

DISPATCH: I’m sorry, what’s going on?

CALLER: I have no water and no food.

CALLER: My truck broke down, so I’m stuck here at the house with no water and no food. I’ve been here now for 13 days with no water or food.

Hood County faces growing need for senior meals as funding cuts impact local services

Mary Flores is the crime victims’ liaison for Hood County. She also serves on the Salvation Army’s advisory board. This was a different call for her.

“We have about 10 or 11 food pantries here in Hood County,” she said. “For this particular man to call law enforcement for food and water, we knew that there was a need.”

Flores, who has worked for HCSO for 10 years, said she could tell something was wrong with the man. She said he had no family in Texas. He did not have running water or an operating septic system.

“I knew he wasn’t feeling well,” she said. “I knew he was sick. I can tell.”

Meals on Wheels faces long waiting lists amid budget cuts  

She got him to agree to sign up for Meals on Wheels only to find out he’d be on a waiting list. The Hood County Meals on Wheels lost $181,000 in funding. That money has impacted transportation, congregate meals at the senior center in Granbury and the Meals on Wheels program.

“We make in-person visits, with a ready-to-eat meal, through volunteers to ensure safety, nutrition and emotional well-being,” Meredith Corrigan said.  “Our patrons that walk into our doors every day have a sense of community and engagement that they may not get elsewhere.”

Corrigan, the Senior Center’s director, has 65 seniors on a waiting list now. In January, the center separated services for 47 seniors. In November, 25 more are a possibility to make the budget align.

Senior Center director warns of rising isolation and food insecurity   

“Without programs like these, seniors and their caregivers will become more isolated, some will have increased food insecurity, and others be forced into institutional living at a much higher cost,” she said.

The man Flores wanted to help was retired. He had some life in church. She asked him to put his hand on the Bible that he would go to the doctor to get checked. The man agreed. He found he had cancer.

“My biggest concern would have been if we had found him dead in his home,” she said.

Even if he had been well, the waiting list would not have shortened the time to get a meal. Kristi Mann is a volunteer who delivers meals in Hood County.

“I guess I didn’t realize we were actually delivering to people who had no means of obtaining food, or even driving to get food. So if you’re not the one taking the food to them,  they really have no way of getting it,” Mann said.

The 46-year-old said she was not prepared for what she’s seen among the elderly. She is certain the interactions are fruitful, and for some, it’s the only person they will see.

“Some of the houses that I’ve driven up to, half of the house might be burned. And the other half of the house is something they might have been living in temporarily, or an RV next to the burned-down house,” she said.

In five years, she said her route has decreased from 20 to two people.

Records show the man called HCSO on May 27 and June 13. He was hospitalized for treatment. According to Flores, he is out of the hospital with his children. His face is still imprinted on her life.

“When I heard about that number on that wait list, I saw his face. There’s more of him,” Flores said. “There’s more people out there like him. And we shouldn’t have people like that in our communities needing food and water.”

Hood County approved $100,00 from its emergency disaster fund to combat hunger during the government shutdown, to be divided among its participating non-profits. In the meantime, Flores wrote a proposal to the Salvation Army to adopt 25 seniors so they would not go hungry.

More from CBS News