Our mission at Meals on Wheels of Wake County is to nourish, enrich, and strengthen the lives of older adults through daily meal delivery and human connections.
Our Program
We serve lunchtime meals to over 1,400 homebound older adults and persons with disabilities in Wake County. Our outreach consists of hot meals to homebound individuals, communal dining for adults 60+ at our Friendship Cafes, and frozen meal service for dialysis patients and other homebound individuals in isolated areas. Over 2,200 volunteers help us deliver meals Monday through Friday each week.
Meals on Wheels of Wake County was founded on February 12, 1974 with ten volunteers meeting at Hillyer Christian Church to deliver meals in downtown Raleigh. Since then over 11 million meals have been served in Wake County alone. Meals on Wheels of Wake County is associated with the Meals on Wheels America, which is comprised of over 5,000 Senior Nutrition Programs and 800,000 volunteers in the U.S. dedicated to ending senior hunger.
Why We Serve
Meals on Wheels allows older adults in Wake County to maintain their dignity and independence and remain in their homes. When a volunteer delivers a meal to a homebound recipient, we are not only providing a meal, but we are also providing a visit and a check up. It is comforting to family members to know that someone is stopping in daily to be sure that everything is okay. Over the years, we have touched so many lives in Wake County and beyond by reaching out to our seniors and people with disabilities to keep them connected to our community.
How We Can Help You
Meals on Wheels of Wake County services are open to those who are 60 years old and above who live in Wake County. People under the age of 60 with disability may qualify to participate receive home-delivered or frozen meal programs.
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Meals on Wheels of Wake County is deeply committed to our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey. As a values-led organization, we understand that creating a sense of belonging for all our stakeholders, including but not limited to clients, volunteers, community partners, community members, board, and staff, is critical to living out our mission as an organization.
We are committed to serving homebound older adults and persons with disabilities in Wake County who represent diverse backgrounds. At Meals on Wheels of Wake County, our definition of diversity includes but is not limited to race/ethnicity, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, age, disability status, genetics, language (spoken and visual), socioeconomic status, and homebound status. When we deliver a nutritious meal, we ensure that each recipient feels seen, valued, and cared for by our volunteers. We are more than a meal; human connection and compassion are as important as our meal service.
We believe that our service to the community should take a holistic approach that acknowledges people’s unique needs. Meals on Wheels of Wake County values the diversity of needs, perspectives, and experiences of our staff and clients to create a more genuine and sincere approach to our work. We will continue to act in ways that enrich and strengthen the lives of older adults and persons with disabilities in our community.
As we continue to expand as an organization, we will continue to:
- Educate the community about the issues older adults and persons with disabilities face.
- Partner with local organizations and individuals to maintain our connection to the larger Wake County community.
- Grow and expand our DEI-related efforts. For example, in the future, we would like to have the funding to deliver culturally and medically tailored meals to include people who need additional meal options.