Check out our 2018 Annual Report!

Seniors and people with disabilities in the Twin Cities metro know that if they’re in need of nutritious meals delivered by a friendly volunteer, help is one phone call or a visit to our website away. That may seem simple, but it takes a tremendous amount of support from people like you to make this vital service available to those who need it.

Each year, we like to recognize that giant contributions members of our community make to – excuse the pun – keep the wheels turning. We hope you’ll take a minute to check out our 2018 Annual Report to see what our supporters helped us accomplish during our last fiscal year (April 2017-March 2018).

We’d also like to share this letter reviewing the past year and looking ahead from our Executive Director Patrick Rowan:

Dear Friends,

Meals on Wheels is one of the longest-standing examples of neighbors helping neighbors. Its staying power has everything to do with people like you. This wouldn’t be possible without people taking time out of their busy lives to connect with their neighbors over the noon hour, and without people giving generously to support the delivery of meals to seniors and people with disabilities in need.

As we reflect on the past year, I’m struck by how this bedrock of support from the community allows our local Meals on Wheels programs to prepare for a challenging future. Because of your generosity and faithful support, we can look ahead to a future where our local senior population will double over the next 20 years with confidence rather than trepidation.

We took a huge step toward preparing for that future by celebrating a successful first year of the Kitchen of Opportunities, the first local kitchen dedicated specifically to providing nutritious meals to Meals on Wheels recipients in the Twin Cities. Your faithful support put us in a position to launch the Kitchen of Opportunities and make a major investment to ensure the sustainability of Meals on Wheels in the

Twin Cities. By the end of the first year, the kitchen was serving 1,400 meals a day—about 400 more than we had anticipated. Not coincidentally, this was the first year in recent history that the per-meal cost of serving the community went down for Meals on Wheels programs in the Twin Cities.

Running our own kitchen ultimately provides access to Meals on Wheels for more seniors, which can provide a guarantee of nutrition when many are struggling with other rising expenses for housing and medical costs. Perhaps most importantly, we can be responsive to the people we serve, and provide the kinds of meals they want. It’s impossible to put into words the comfort that a much-anticipated meal can bring.

I hope you’ll take a minute to read our enclosed Annual Report and reflect on everything you helped accomplish in the past year. On behalf of our senior neighbors, thank you!

Sincerely,

Patrick Rowan
Executive Director
Metro Meals on Wheels