Meals on Wheels locations in Northern Colorado seeking holiday support

All of Northern Colorado and Boulder Valley’s Meals on Wheels operations are structured differently, but they all have something in common: the need for extra support during the holidays.

“Each day, our organizations deliver more than just a meal. We provide social connection opportunities for our neighbors who are isolated, sometimes being their only connection to the community. The meals we deliver often save lives,” Coal Creek Meals on Wheels development and marketing director Brittany Vital said in a statement.

“The number one thing we tell people that we need is funding, so we can offer those meals at no cost,” said Glenda Shayne, executive director of Meals on Wheels for Fort Collins.

The Fort Collins nonprofit organization doesn’t receive any federal funds unlike some of the more than 5,000 independently-run locations across the nation. The nonprofit group delivers hot, nutritious meals up to five days a week to older adults ages 63 and older who are homebound or require assistance in leaving the house and preparing meals, as well as those with disabilities who are 62 and younger. The meals are delivered in Fort Collins, Wellington and Laporte.

The organization is one of the few in the region where the meals are prepared at a hospital, that of Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. The hospital then sells the meals to Meals on Wheels at a reduced cost, providing $237,000 a year in in-kind benefits. Clients pay for the meals on a sliding scale, though 50 of the meals are provided at no cost to those with the lowest incomes. 

Operating with a full-time staff of four, the group primarily relies on volunteers to deliver the meals and provide social interaction and wellness checks. Right now, there are 360 volunteers who serve as regular delivery drivers and substitute drivers and on core packaging teams that pack the meal bags for the drivers to pick up at the hospital and deliver on 27 routes. The teams deliver an average of 310 to 325 meals a day with their capacity at 325. They delivered 76,465 meals last year to 560 unduplicated clients and 70,198 meals the year before.

“The economy is driving the number of clients going up,” Shayne said. “The economy is such that it’s hard for people to afford their own meals. When we go to the grocery store, it costs a lot more than it used to.”

On Oct. 12, Meals of Wheels Fort Collins delivered blizzard boxes with shelf-stable food to be used during inclement weather. The boxes cost $14,000, with $6,000 covered by grants and the remaining $8,000 still needing to be raised. The nonprofit group also will deliver holiday gift bags in November with toiletries and other special gifts for the members. 

“Because we don’t prepare our own meals, food donations are not needed,” Shayne said.

The nonprofit group is seeking financial donations instead and will send out an appeal letter in November with the goal to raise $25,000, the same amount that was raised last year. It is also seeking additional volunteers to serve as substitute drivers.

“We’re trying to do a lot of outreach and engagement and raise awareness of the needs we have,” Shayne said.

Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud is seeking financial donations, as well as additional volunteers to help out with making and delivering meals.  

“Financially, we would love to receive more donations for a good start to a new year, so we can serve more clients,” said Carrie Kaufman, communications and development director of the Loveland and Berthoud location. “That meal comes with a friendly smile and connection and the knowledge that someone cares.”

The organization, which serves southern Larimer County, receives federal funding through the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program and is required to follow certain nutrition guidelines, track the source of the food it purchases—it cannot receive food donations—and publish the menu a month in advance with nutritional information included. It is also supported by grants, private foundations, and individual and corporate donations. 

Individual donations last year were about $285,000, and so far this year are $181,000. Corporate donations last year were at $29,000 and this year is higher at $32,500. A large portion of annual donations come in during the last couple of months of the year, something Meals of Wheels is counting on in 2024.

“The holidays are the same in some ways because people need food every day,” Kaufman said. “We like to provide a special Thanksgiving meal on the Wednesday before the holiday and a special Christmas Eve meal, and we have our Santa Project where we put together gifts for each of our active clients.”

The nonprofit group is on track to serve 825 individual clients this year, providing them with 92,000 meals. Last year, it served 86,000 meals to 747 clients, who are ages 60 and older and are homebound or are under 60 and have a disability. The clients are not required to pay for the meals but can contribute toward the cost if they choose—they receive a statement every month but do not have to do anything with it.

“Our population is aging, and many of our clients live on fixed incomes,” Kaufman said. “We’ve seen our own raw food costs increase dramatically over the past couple of years, so we know that more people are in need of affordable and additional nutritional support.”

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to help prepare the meals at the Loveland location and deliver them to 30 routes, three more routes than last year. 

“While our work begins with delivering a meal, it truly represents so much more,” Kaufman said. “It’s about security, it’s about connection, and, most importantly, it’s about knowing that someone cares.”

Currently, the group has 373 volunteers who work on 150 driver shifts and 25 to 30 kitchen shifts per week and help out in the office. The drivers deliver an average of 353 hot meals a day, plus 30 frozen meals every week.

“We are always looking for volunteers to help with our drivers; that’s our biggest need,” Kaufman said, adding that kitchen volunteers also are needed. “We do have a really great core of our volunteer drivers, but we also need substitute drivers.”

The organization will kick off its end-of-year campaign on Nov. 1, consisting of raising awareness through advertising and social media, participation in Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 10 and sending out donor letters and newsletters. The Fort Collins group also will participate in the statewide fundraising event.

“Our main goal is to have people living healthily and independently in their home,” Kaufman said. “It’s good for clients and the community when we have strong and independent people. … Everybody deserves to age with dignity, and everyone deserves to have a connection with the community.”

Meals on Wheels of Boulder County is seeking financial donations for the holidays, plus has a continual need for volunteers. The group with the help of city and county grants, individual donations, and corporate donations and sponsorships. That way, it can remain flexible and serve more people in Boulder, since it’s not limited to an age restriction—right now, 25% of clients are under the age of 60.

“We have three social ventures attached to our business that funds our program,” said Shoshana Fanizza, development and marketing manager of Meals on Wheels of Boulder County.

Those include a line of fresh foods called Think Goodness Foods consisting of quiches, pies and soups available at the Niche Market; a mini grocery store with lots of convenience items and attached to the main Meals on Wheels building; and a community café called The Eat Well Café that serves lunch and is located in the West Age Well Center.

Think Goodness Foods are what professional chefs hired by the Boulder County Meals on Wheels makes for its clients. The chefs provide hot, nutritious meals daily that the drivers deliver to clients five days a week, along with two frozen meals over the weekends if requested. The food for the meals comes from purchases and donations from Community Food Share, a food bank in Louisville.

Each day, the organization delivers 300-plus meals and 6,700 a month. To get those meals delivered, it works with 352 volunteers; it takes 200 volunteers, including 125 drivers, to get the meals out each week on 25 routes. The other volunteers are substitute drivers, kitchen assistants, morning packers and runners who take the meals to the drivers, plus office volunteers.

“We always need volunteers,” Fanizza said. “You never know what happens. We definitely need sub drivers all the time. A lot of times we need cashiers for the Niche Market and The Eat Well Café,” 

The nonprofit group sought financial donations through the Fall Meals Campaign during September and October, but by mid-October was at 53% less than last year toward its goal of $60,000. Part of the reason is the impact from the upcoming November elections. 

“We are definitely in need of generous donations to keep going with our mission,” Fanizza said.

For additional fundraising efforts, the group plans to participate in Colorado Gives Day, followed by an annual appeal for the last month of the year. The funds will help address rising food costs — it spends an average of $21,000 to $27,000 a month on food and serves about 2,000 clients a year. The need for those meals increased 26% from 2022 to 2023 and is holding fairly steady this year from last year. 

The meals are provided to clients on a sliding scale, but are free for five meals through Project Homecoming, started in 2007 for clients transitioning from the hospital or a rehabilitation facility to home. 

“This is the first year in a long time that we’ve seen less donations coming in during this time,” Fanizza said, adding that no matter what, “we do not have a waiting list. We will make it work when people need a meal.” 

Longmont Meals on Wheels is always in need of volunteers, said Katie Wiser, development and communications director of the nonprofit. 

“Volunteers are so important to us,” Wiser said. “Not only are they bringing a meal, but they are also bringing a warm smile and a genuine, ‘How are you today?’”

Each year, the group works with 500 volunteers and needs 180 volunteers a week, who serve about 450 to 480 meals a day. Last year, the nonprofit served 115,000 meals, 8% more than the previous year. 

“Boulder County has the highest food costs per meal in the state,” Wiser said. “Older adults especially feel this because they are on fixed incomes. … It isn’t enough to find affordable food, it also needs to be ready-to-eat, nutritious and home-delivered. Older adults struggling with food insecurity are often referred to as the hidden hungry.”

The Longmont group is supported by donations, businesses, foundations and local governments. 

“Our financial contributions are down significantly,” Wiser said. “We know that there is a lot of uncertainty for folks about their finances and that can make donations fall. As a result, though, we have had to dip into our cash reserves quite a bit. We are hopeful that donations will recover by the end of the year or at the beginning of next year, or we may need to look at some programming changes.”

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