Raleigh / North Carolina / United States
Delivering nutritious meals to frail, homebound senior adults and persons with disabilities of Wake County in order to improve health, reduce isolation and prevent inappropriate institutionalization and serving nutritious meals as well as providing social and educational opportunities to persons over 60 in congregate dining rooms to promote independent living.Meals on Wheels of Wake County serves 1, 500 noontime meals every weekday to the elderly, homebound and persons with disabilities of Wake County. Meals are served in three separate processes: the first is hot meals to homebound individuals, the second is hot meals to seniors in congregate dining rooms, and the third is frozen meals to dialysis patients and other homebound individuals who live in isolated areas of Wake County. The home delivered meals are delivered by a cadre of 2, 200 volunteers, five days a week, Monday through Friday.On February 12, 1974, the first meals were delivered in Wake County. Ten volunteers took nine meals to elderly in downtown Raleigh. In fiscal year 2008-2009, 377, 500 meals were served.Meals on Wheels of Wake County services are open to homebound, disabled senior adults over the age of 60 who live in the county. People under the age of 60 may qualify to participate in the home delivered or frozen meal programs.Over the years, we have touched so many lives. This service allows our recipients to maintain their dignity and independence and remain in their homes. When a volunteer delivers a meal to a homebound recipient, we are not only providing a meal, but we are also providing a visit and a check up. The meal is important, but for so many of our recipients, both the homebound and at the Senior Nutrition Centers, it is the socialization that they receive which is so significant to them. It is comforting to family members to know that someone is stopping in daily to be sure that everything is okay.The Importance of our Service:For so many of our recipients this is the only contact they have with others. They long for this socialization. Just to talk with someone for a minute. The volunteers bring comfort and hope to the lives of the many isolated elderly often in desperate need of the basic necessities of life.Volunteers are the heart of Meals On Wheels. To find out more about how you can help your senior and disabled neighbors CLICK HERE.
