beneficiaries
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
$100,000
FAMILY
“Meals on Wheels of Oklahoma City-Elder Eats”
The devastation of COVID-19 has brought senior needs to the forefront. As the virus escalates, seniors are shut-in, taking away their ability to interact and even make routine grocery store trips. Individuals are encouraged to avoid seeing physicians for routine care. Without access to socialization, preventative care and nutrition, seniors are at a greater risk for premature illness and death. The question becomes: How would you want your mom, dad or grandparents treated?
The demand for senior services is far outpacing our response. The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits reports 263 member organizations are devoted to children and youth while only 22 focus on seniors.
Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City is eager to begin the pilot program, ElderEats to bring comfort to
seniors and families through an in-person wellness visit five days per week, up to 21 weekly nutritious meals, and ongoing communication with family members. ElderEats won’t be a transaction, it will be a vehicle for love and hope.
This fee-based service will provide seniors with resources and a desire to pay for enhanced services, the opportunity to do so. Subscription fees from ElderEats will help sustain Meals on Wheels which provides a free weekday lunch for homebound seniors.
A $100,000 grant will purchase one Impact Oklahoma logoed multi-temperature delivery vehicle to serve both Meals on Wheels and ElderEats; this vehicle will function as a meal pick-up point for volunteer drivers throughout Oklahoma County. Funding will also allow us to build a comprehensive e-commerce site for easy ordering and a community engagement campaign to begin healthcare collaborations.
At the conclusion of the grant, we anticipate earned revenue from this program will allow Meals on Wheels to feed at least 1,000 free meals weekly to 200 homebound seniors who would otherwise go hungry.
