Meals on Wheels Moving Forward

Last year celebrated Meals on Wheels (MOW) 35th anniversary of “delivering meals and serving smiles” to the Chestnut Hill area. Over the past year however, MOW has seen immense growth, expanding their services to neighboring locations in need.

Community Outreach Director Jami Dolby spoke about the organizations’ recent accomplishments. “We’re really trying to take it to the next level.”

Now delivering to Chestnut Hill, Erdenheim, Mt. Airy, Flourtown, Oreland, and Wyndmoor, CHMOW anticipates a successful revitalization of their care.

Different MOW locations vary in their core missions and local focus. At the heart of Chestnut Hill’s Meals on Wheels is a unique and passionate understanding for the comfort and joy a warm meal can bring into seniors’ lives.

For a low daily charge of $7, patrons receive a low sodium, freshly cooked diet. Most deliveries include a hot meal complete with a starch, meat and vegetable, salad and fresh fruit.

“We really focus on the meals” says Dolby.

Lynne Mason, Executive Director of CHMOW seconded Dolby’s commitment to the meals. “This is what we dedicate our lives to…delivering meals to seniors.”

After discussing the community driven experience of MOW, Mason added, “The food makes our clients happy and that really makes our day too.”

“We’ve been blessed to have the aid of Keystone House” said Mason. Keystone House, a hospice facility for palliative care seniors, provides chefs to prepare the meals.  

Dolby commended Keystone’s exemplary cooking. “It’s as if Mom was cooking the meals,” Dolby said.

The Mom-made taste of the meal is hardly where the homey feel of family stops for MOW. While meals are the paid service for clients, volunteerism, generosity and friendship play a large role in assuring seniors’ well-being.

In addition to supplying daily meals to seniors in need, MOW also prepares a food pantry and emergency supplies of non-perishable foods. Local schools and organizations contribute to these efforts, showing how MOW reaches out to the community to support senior hunger awareness.

Students package plastic bags of crackers, bottled water, granola bars, fruit cups, tea, cocoa powder and pasta. They also often include hand drawn cards for the seniors to read on receiving their care package.  This past winter, CHMOW added a KYW snow emergency information form to help seniors follow the weather.

“The emergency kits,” explained Mason, “give them a sense of security…When it snows or the power’s out, we want our clients to have a back-up plan.”

Local businesses also contribute to the deliveries. Among other companies, Starbucks donates their desserts to MOW’s for seniors to enjoy.

Food preparation and pantry stocking are only half the service MOW assures. The volunteers delivering meals develop a unique relationship with their seniors. They do more than merely deliver meals, as per MOW’s mission statement, they also “serve smiles.”

Dolby expressed the overwhelming happiness and universal satisfaction the staff and volunteers share for their clients. “It’s like we’re one big family.”

Mason shared the heartwarming experience of being a MOW volunteer and reaching out to seniors in need.

The seniors, Mason explained, often rely on the volunteers as an outlet to the social atmosphere. “They get dressed up for deliveries…they treat volunteers like family when they come to their homes.”

“Seeing a volunteer can be the highlight of someone’s week” said Mason, recognizing the exceptional care her volunteers deliver on a daily basis.

CHMOW’s goal is to keep seniors comfortable in their homes without relying on fast food for a convenient and cheap meal fix.

Since a lot of seniors decide not to be cared for in a nursing facility (although CHMOW makes accommodations for some in-home clients as well), CHMOW tries to improve clients’ lifestyles by catering to bad dieting habits.

“You can’t get a healthy lunch for $7, let alone a full day’s meals,” said Dolby assuring the validity of their cost of service.

“Some clients are still subsidized and pay even less, if anything at all,” continued Dolby who further discussed how CHMOW, as a non-profit organization, truly focuses on the well-being of their clients.

Currently, CHMOW seeks to add new life to their program. In addition to reaching out to new clients and surrounding areas, CHMOW’s now on Twitter and Facebook, has participated in community events like Mayors on Wheels, and plans on having a live auction night out for local community members at the end of the month. 

Recently, CHMOW was visited by Mayor Nutter for Mayors on Wheels, a National Campaign forerunning awareness for senior hunger. “Mayor Nutter packaged meals and delivered them to our clients, and it meant a lot to them to see him there,” said Dolby.

Other celebrities who have helped with CHMOW include Philadelphia Eagles player Cornelius Ingram. 

CHMOW’s upcoming fundraiser, referred to as a duel awareness raiser, will be held April 28th at Chestnut Hill’s Little Tree House. “It’ll be a night out for the adults to kick back, relax, run the chance at winning some awesome prizes, but still stay focused on the message at hand,” said Dolby.

Dolby explained that the demand for CHMOW continues to grow yearly. “Pennsylvania leads the country with the largest percentage of hunger stricken seniors.”

CHMOW reaches out to families with their new social networking capabilities and promotes hunger advocacy on a local level.

"Some people wonder: 'Why would anyone need the help in Chestnut Hill?'” Dolby said. “Meals on Wheels isn’t an income-based program, it’s need-based…and there are more people in need than what meets the eye.”

For more information on their upcoming fundraiser, donation opportunities, and how you can help, visit CHMOW’s website at www.chestnuthillmow.com.