Skip to content

So Much More than a meal

When you donate to Meals on Wheels, you're providing hot, healthy meals to older adults and veterans who need them  ... but that's not all.  

senior woman sitting on a bed accent-11
Volunteer with Client accent

You're helping to prevent social isolation and save lives, as well.

For many of the recipients of our 1,000 meals a day, their Meals on Wheels driver is the only person they see that day, or even that week. Specially trained to check on clients' well-being, our drivers perform a much-needed service that can enhance emotional well-being. And in fact, these well-being checks save 3-7 lives of our clients annually.

Over 85% of our clients live 185% below the federal poverty level. Many cannot cook or prepare their own meals. Donors like you are supporting their access to both nutritional and social opportunities.

Meals on Wheels Impact ...
with Your Help

0+ brush accent

Hot, nutritious meals delivered each weekday

0 brush accent

Clients served in Central Iowa, including 150 military veterans

$0 brush accent

Your donation to provide one month of meals and well-being checks
Your donation of $270 fully feeds a financially vulnerable older adult for a month. Your donation of $1,000 provides 110 meals for food-insecure veterans.
Donate Now

The Research Shows

icon of people and a money symbol

More than 10,000 older adults in Polk County are food insecure.

That's 12.5% of the population, a percentage that's continuing to rise.
icon of a scissors cutting a bill

41% of older adults in Iowa live below the ALICE threshold.

ALICE stands for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, (and) Employed. The income threshold is $19,560 annually.
food truck icon

Meals on Wheels lowers hospitalization rates by 39%.

Participant hospitalization rates are 39% lower than those of non-Meals on Wheels participants in the same age cohort.
icon of a caregiver assisting a senior

43% of older adults report feeling lonely.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the incidence and severity of social isolation experienced by older adults.

icon of a senior woman

Nearly 1/3 of people age 65+ live alone.

The majority are women, many of whom spent decades caring for children and other family members. 

icon of a piggy bank

Meals on Wheels participation boosts Medicare savings.

When a person starts Meals on Wheels service, their Medicare costs can be expected to decrease by as much as $1,100 within 90 days.

caregiver and a senior woman accent-02

Meals on Wheels:
The Reality

The typical Meals on Wheels participant is a woman age 75 or older who is homebound, lives alone, and is not in optimal health. She may lack the financial resources to pay for basic needs, such as nutrition, and a lack of transportation and limited physical mobility also may hinder her access to food.

Prolonged social isolation — for many of our clients, the reality if Meals on Wheels were not an option — is linked to a greater incidence of anxiety and depression. It's also correlated with poor cardiovascular health and decreased cognitive function.

The social interaction and well-being checks provided by Meals on Wheels drivers can be life-changing. Every year since the program's inception, Meals on Wheels drivers have saved lives.

Our Greater Impact

Thanks to generous donors funding a record-breaking capital campaign, WesleyLife's new Meals on Wheels campus will open its doors in late 2023. The new campus, with a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen and hydroponic garden, is designed to triple meal production and  improve the nutritional value of the meals we deliver, and a designated connection space will create and enhance intergenerational opportunities.

WesleyLife Foundation Corporate and Community Partners

Become a Corporate or Community Partner with the Meals on Wheels Adopt-a-Route Program.
Learn More
Meals on Wheels is so important when you're caring for someone who is ill and somewhat isolated. Often, my Meals on Wheels driver is the only person I see all day, and our conversations add some needed joy and levity to my life right now!
Joanne W.
Urbandale, WesleyLife Meals on Wheels participant
Supporting WesleyLife Meals on Wheels is a significant way in which The Wellmark Foundation fulfills its mission of helping individuals, families and communities achieve better health. Each hot and nutritious meal delivery fights food insecurity and combats social isolation among older Iowa adults and veterans. This work aligns with The Wellmark Foundation’s focus on equitable health outcomes that allow all Iowans to live a long, healthy life.
Laura Jackson
Executive Vice President, Health Equity, Access & Improvement
Wellmark Foundation
You are doing an amazing job! The food is good and I get to try meals that I wouldn’t and couldn’t make. Drivers are great and they are more reliable than the postman. A huge thank you to everyone at Meals on Wheels!
Ray
Meals on Wheels Participant

Make a Donation

 

Tax-deductible charitable contributions

WesleyLife Foundation, an IRS Section 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization, is qualified to receive deductible charitable contributions. Our EIN number is 88-2893273. Charitable contributions are defined as a donation or gift to, and for the use of, WesleyLife Foundation. Gifts are voluntary and are made without receipt of, or promise of receipt of, anything of equal value.

Generally, you may deduct contributions of money or property you make to, or for the use of, WesleyLife Foundation. Consult IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions or your tax advisor on the amount of your deduction.

Recurring Donations

By completing the form and clicking the donate button, you authorize the storage of this credit card information, which will be processed on the 15th of every month per the chosen recurring schedule. If at any point you would like to cancel your recurring donation, please call (515)271-6789.

A $75,000 Prairie Meadows grant offers Meals on Wheels support

A $75,000 Prairie Meadows grant is assisting WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, providing direct meal support and funding equipment for the hydroponic farm.

Read More

"The food is so good, but it's not even really about that."

Meals on Wheels client Paul says daily meal delivery provides his only social contact; "life would look different" without it.

Read More

Leader shares ideas at Meals on Wheels national conference

Shannon Draayer, executive director of WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, shares her learnings from the MOW national conference.

Read More

Make Your Difference

WesleyLife Foundation’s EIN number is 88-2893273