News/Press Releases

April 11, 2013

SEQUESTRATION CUTS = 12,000 LESS MEALS SERVED

Meals on Wheels of Wake County has just received word that due to cuts to federal funding through the sequestration we will lose funding for 12,000 meals this year.

Since 1965 the Older Americans Act has funded nutrition programs to combat senior hunger. Over the past six decades we have seen the positive impact this program has on our senior population. Our senior neighbors eat better and live independently in their own homes. This cost-effective use of funds provides nutrition and independence at a fraction of the cost that would be incurred if these seniors needed to move into nursing homes. In Wake County, Meals on Wheels matches every public dollar with private donations to provide even more meals.

More senior adults are applying for Meals on Wheels than ever before. Cuts in federal funding mean that we must leave qualified participants on a waiting list and potentially cut current clients. The reality is that we need more money to buy more nutritious meals for more people. The last thing our most vulnerable neighbors and family members need is to lose this essential service.

Please help us feed our senior neighbors in need. Your donation will make a big impact for our homebound senior neighbors.

EVERY $4 donation = 1hot, nutritious home-delivered meal.

Please donate now and help us replace the 12,000 defunded meals.

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Meals on Wheels of Wake County executive director Alan Winstead (left) displays the Standards for Excellence Institute® Seal of Excellence certificate with MOW board member, Ray Lichtner. This Seal designates Meals on Wheels successful compliance with the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector®. Certification in the Standards for Excellence® program is bestowed only to the most well-managed and responsibly governed nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated compliance with 55 specific Standards for Excellence.

Meals on Wheels of Wake County Earns Seal of Excellence

April 2012 – Meals on Wheels of Wake County has been awarded the Standards for Excellence Institute® Seal of Excellence for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence® certification program. Meals on Wheels voluntarily opened itself up to scrutiny by a jury of its peers. The peer review team examined Meals on Wheels for compliance with the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector®, established by the Standards for Excellence Institute, a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Standards for Excellence are based on fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability. Meals on Wheels programs and services, management, fundraising, and financial practices were examined in depth before the certification was awarded. This program provides a model for how the most well managed and responsibly governed nonprofits operate.

Meals on Wheels of Wake County Executive Director Alan Winstead explained, “This seal shows we have taken every step to ensure we’re serving the community and operating according the highest standards of accountability in the most upright way and we’re proud to display it. Our organization, which works to assist our senior and disabled neighbors, exemplifies both our dedication to our cause and to meeting the highest standards of organizational best practice. We will continue to strive for excellence.”