Meals on Wheels 6/2010
What is Meals on Wheels?
Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization, typically staffed by volunteers, that provides home delivered nutritious, low cost meals to seniors aged 60 and over and to those convalescing or with mental or physical disabilities. Meals on Wheels clients receive a nutritious meal that meets diabetic, low sodium and low cholesterol guidelines.
Meals are provided for homebound persons who are 60 years and older, who are unable to drive, who cannot prepare their own meals, and who have no one to help them.
Referrals are taken from anyone, including the client. When making a referral, it is important to make sure the client is interested in receiving a meal.
Meals on Wheels is not an emergency food service. After a referral is taken in the office, an assessment to determine eligibility is done. This may take two to three days.
There is no means test for participation in the Meals on Wheels Program. We do encourage donations and suggest a $3.00 donation per meal. No eligible person will be denied a meal due to inability to donate.
A Brief History of Meals on Wheels –
Today's Elderly Nutrition Programs in the United States trace their roots back to Great Britain during World War II. During the Blitz in 1939, when German planes bombarded English soil, many people in Britain lost their homes and, subsequently, their ability to cook meals for themselves. The Women's Volunteer Service for Civil Defense responded to this emergency by preparing and delivering meals to their disadvantaged neighbors. These women also brought refreshments in canteens to servicemen during World War II. The canteens came to be known as "Meals on Wheels." Thus, the first organized nutrition program was born. Following the war, the United States embarked on its own experimental meal program. What began as a single small program serving seven seniors has grown into hundreds of local home-delivered and congregate meal programs that serve millions of elderly, disabled, or at-risk persons across the country. The first American home-delivered meal program began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in January of 1954.
How can I get more information about Meals on Wheels?
Online, visit the Meals on Wheels Association of America. www.mowaa.org
Contact the 2-1-1 Idaho CareLine to get the contact information for your local Meals on Wheels provider. Dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-926-2588.