Today, WesleyLife Meals on Wheels delivered its 4 millionth meal — a hearty chicken dish, fittingly a favorite of its recipient: Meals on Wheels' longest-served client, Connie G. of Des Moines. Connie has received Meals on Wheels since 1998, when health challenges made it difficult for her to keep working.
Over the past 19 years, the meals — and the daily well-being checks that come with them — have been a lifeline in more ways than one.
“I have fainting spells and osteoporosis and a heart condition,” Connie says. “My former driver, Loretta, found me passed out on my couch one day; she brought me food and water and saved my life.”
Today, Connie — enjoying a spell of good health and caring for her new dog, Luna — was visited by Shannon Draayer, executive director of community nutrition for WesleyLife; WesleyLife vice president of philanthropy Sophia S. Ahmad; and organizational donors Pati and Jason Burt, representing Dr. Suzie Glazer Burt, honorary WesleyLife Foundation board member and principal donor to Meals on Wheels. (In the top photo, from right: Shannon, Connie, Pati, Jason, and Sophia; at left, Pati hands Connie her meal as Jason looks on.)
Together, the philanthropists and WesleyLife leaders celebrated the incredible 4 million milestone delivery as well as the impact made possible since 2006 by countless team members, volunteers, and supporters.
Generosity and impact
In 2024 alone, WesleyLife delivered a record 428,116 meals to 4,760 older adults and veterans across Polk and Dallas counties — with outcomes that go far beyond nutrition. Overall, thanks to the generosity that fuels Meals on Wheels:
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95% of clients are able to maintain independence at home.
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93% report that they eat healthier than they would without meal delivery.
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82% say they feel safer than they did before they began receiving Meals on Wheels.
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As many as eight lives a year are saved through well-being checks.
Each weekday, about 2,000 meals are prepared in and delivered from WesleyLife's Meals on Wheels location near Drake University in Des Moines — a campus that also is home to the Prairie Meadows Hydroponic Farm, which provides fresh greens for client meals and for the general public.
"I don't have to worry"
Also delivered from that location: compassion, smiles, and a sense of connection.
“Some days, I don't see anyone but my driver, so I do enjoy the visits," Connie, pictured at left with driver Brian Lynner, says. "It's wonderful to get to see somebody. And they make things easy — all I have to do is take my food and sit down and eat.
"Things get harder health-wise for me as I get older, and if there's a day when I don't have energy, I don't have to worry about where I'm going to get my food. You get the feeling with the drivers that you're not just a job to them; they care what happens to me."
Shannon says as she considers the effort and commitment that have gone into the creation and delivery of 4 million meals, one component of the Meals on Wheels operation resonates above all others: the dedication of team members and volunteers.
"The drivers are the ones who often are the first to realize when something isn't right with a client and to come to us and say, 'Hey, I think we need to reach out to a family member,'" Shannon says. "They truly care and do whatever it takes to form connections and earn the clients' trust.
"When I think of all the meals that have been delivered, the first thing I think of is the number of doors that are knocked on, and the number of caring people who are knocking on them and truly caring about the people inside. The team and volunteers have made all of this happen!"
If you are interested in WesleyLife Meals on Wheels services for yourself or a loved one, please call (515) 699-3240 or visit us. To support our mission, please consider joining our generous donors in helping to meet the ever-increasing nutritional needs of older adults and military veterans in Iowa.
