Yesterday I told you about a budget amendment from Gov. Bob McDonnell that would have left a majority of Virginia’s senior citizens service agencies (which provide programs such as Meals on Wheels) in a financially shaky straights.

Today, the governor withdrew his amendment. Advocates for seniors are overjoyed.

From McDonnell’s press office:

The governor’s decision to request that the amendment be withdrawn was made following input from a number of groups and care providers that a change to the existing formula to account for population shifts would have a disproportionate effect on the work done by Area Agencies in a number of Virginia communities. The governor believes these agencies do tremendous work and he supports their efforts. He is committed to ensuring they are well funded. He appreciates the information received over the past week and believes that it is in the best interest of Virginia’s seniors to keep the system in-place as it currently exists.

If the amendment had gone through, the LOA Area Office on Aging would have lost about $90,000 in funding for the coming budget year. With the amendment withdrawn, they stand to lost about $37,000 in funding compared to the current year.

But they’ve already made plans to cover that (hopefully) with a fundraiser called “Let’s Do Lunch,” that I’ll be telling you more about in June.

So stay tuned!