Meals on Wheels (MOWs) are locally-run programs that deliver nutritious meals to the home-bound, including the elderly, the disabled, and other at-risk people. MOWs makes sure they receive nutrition, human contact, and the preventative medicine of good food on a regular basis. Daily deliveries also keep home-bound people safer. Volunteers, who stop by with food, can report to social workers if a home-bound person’s health has suddenly deteriorated, or if there is a plumbing leak or other household emergency that the home-bound person cannot handle.

The Need.  People who cannot go shopping or cook due to age, handicap, or chronic illness can become physically ill from lack of good nutrition, or even from simple hunger. Lack of nutrition can cause a person to end up in the hospital or in a nursing home. But often the home-bound are also lonely, and longing for human comfort, even if they are not physically ill.

Eligibility Requirements. Most Meals on Wheels programs require that a meal recipient meet several criteria. First, the person must be home-bound. Second, the person must be unable to cook or otherwise prepare meals. Third, the person must be without day-time help from another person. Finally, the person must be able to receive meals at delivery time. The people who meet these criteria are often the elderly or the disabled, but they might include home-bound critically ill people without relatives to help care for them.

The Food.  Each agency may supply food in a different manner, but Meals on Wheels often deliver hot meals each weekday. On Fridays, some MOWs provide an additional (cold) meal for use over the weekend. The meals are nutritious, providing ample protein and a healthy calorie intake, as well as vitamins and fiber. MOWs try to accommodate diabetic and other special dietary needs.

The Volunteers. MOW volunteers offer several hours one day a week or more. They drive a route, dropping off meals and spending a little time just checking to make sure the recipient is okay. It is a labor of love to bring food and cheer into the lives of those who most need both.

How to Get MOW Help. If you or someone you know needs regular meal service, contact the Meals on Wheels Association (MOWAA) for information on local programs. MOWAA is the umbrella organization for the different groups (most run by a social work agency or other service-oriented group) that have organized MOWs in their communities Often, it is up to able-bodied neighbors, friends, or family-members to bring people in need to the attention of the program. Social workers sometimes intervene on behalf of these people, as well.

MOW on the Internet. Find a local MOW group by entering your zip code on the “Find A Meal” page of the www.mowaa.org website. You can also contact www.eldercare.gov for information, or talk to a social worker in your area.