Boulder Meals on Wheels Stays the Course

Boulder, CO — Meals on Wheels of Boulder is bucking a national trend among senior meal providers in the country, thanks to a team of volunteers who keep the wheels rolling in spite of high fuel costs, according to executive director Francea Phillips.
“Our volunteers are biting the bullet and continuing to deliver meals to the elderly and disabled in Boulder,” said Phillips, “though similar programs nationally are cutting services and increasing the cost to clients.
“We are not planning to take any of these steps and, thanks to our volunteers and our donors, we will continue our five-day-a week deliveries to anyone who needs us, regardless of age or ability to pay – with no increase in cost to our clients and no reduction in the quality or quantity of food provided.
Meals on Wheels of Boulder is one of the programs in the country which does not accept federal funding, meaning that it must rely on the generosity of individual donors, foundations, corporations, organizations, and its partners: the City and County of Boulder.
A recent national survey of Meals on Wheels programs conducted by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA), showed a majority (58%) of Meals On Wheels programs responding reported that they had lost volunteers due to gas prices. Nearly half (48.3%) of the programs responding indicated that increases in gas prices had forced them to eliminate meal delivery routes or to consolidate their meal services.
In describing how they are coping with increased food and gas prices, well over one third (38.2%) of the Meals on Wheels programs reported a change in the type of meals served. One commonly cited change was movement away from hot, freshly prepared meals to frozen meals. This shift went hand-in-hand with another cost-cutting measure, namely a reduction in the frequency of delivery of meals (30.2%).
Meals on Wheels of Boulder was founded in 1969 and is a locally administered and funded not-for-profit organization serving residents of Boulder. Meals on Wheels’ clients include individuals of all ages and economic abilities who may be confined to their homes for any reason, including recovery from surgery, an illness or long- or short-term disabilities. It has provided nearly 1.4 million meals since its founding.