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.
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 75% of our clients live at or below the poverty level. Many cannot cook or prepare their own meals. Donors like you are supporting their access to both nutritional and social opportunities.
The Research Shows
More than 10,000 older adults in Polk County are food-insecure.
41% of older adults in Iowa live below the ALICE threshold.
Meals on Wheels lowers hospitalization rates by 39%.
43% of older adults report feeling lonely.
Nearly 1/3 of people age 65+ live alone.
Meals on Wheels participation boosts Medicare savings.
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.
The new campus is located at 3206 University Ave. in Des Moines, Iowa. The building was gifted to WesleyLife Meals on Wheels via the generosity of a committed donor and Drake University. The building previously served as the university's College of Education.
The building's second story will be devoted to programming to build intergenerational connections for younger and older adults alike around such shared interests as the arts, health, and education.
The new kitchen will be 40% larger than the existing one, with brand-new equipment and a specially designed layout to improve efficiency and increase production from 1,000 to 3,000 meals per day.
A 3,000-square-foot indoor vertical hydroponic garden on the lower level of the campus will facilitate the growing of fresh produce to enhance the nutritional value of the meals we serve.
The campus's upper level will also house office and collaborative space for the Meals on Wheels team.
More than $1 million will be used to purchase new equipment, including roll-in ovens, blast chillers, freezer and refrigeration space, and a commercial dishwasher -- the first ever for the Meals on Wheels program!
WesleyLife Foundation Corporate and Community Partners
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More from WesleyLife
More than Meals, and then some -- driver saves participant's life
When driver Pam arrived at the home of Meals on Wheels participant Harvey, she couldn't have imagined her visit would be a life-saving one.
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WesleyLife Receives $500,000 Prairie Meadows Grant
WesleyLife earmarks a $500,000 Legacy grant from Prairie Meadows for the development of a hydroponic garden at its new Meals on Wheels campus.
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New Meals on Wheels Campus to Triple Meal Capacity
A new Meals on Wheels campus near Drake University will enable the program to serve three times the number of food-insecure Greater Des Moines residents.
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