About MOW
History and Mission:
Meals On Wheels of Asheville-Buncombe County was founded in 1974 “to provide and deliver …meals... to those unable to provide such for themselves.” It was initially part of the federally funded Model Cities program and was operated by the City of Asheville, serving 12 homebound individuals. The Model Cities funds were discontinued in 1974, however, and an ad-hoc committee of private citizens was formed to investigate ways to continue and expand this vital hot meal delivery program. The city of Asheville provided some seed money and Meals On Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County was officially incorporated as a voluntary charitable organization. All funds for food were to be raised from the general public, and all meals were to be delivered by volunteers. Previously, paid Asheville City employees delivered the meals.
Thanks to a very successful Capital Campaign, Meals On Wheels moved from a church basement, into a beautiful new building in 2002. At that time paid staff began to prepare all meals on site. This building is completely paid for and Meals On Wheels pays no property taxes. Utility bills are covered by tenant rent.
Today, thanks to the efforts of 450 dedicated volunteers, Meals On Wheels delivers a hot meal and a friendly visit to 550 homebound individuals. Often the volunteer is the only human contact that the client enjoys in a given day. Volunteers are also the “eyes and ears” of the organization. They are the ones who report back if a client is not doing well so that a call can be made to get the client the help he or she needs.
Meals On Wheels also provides for its clients in other ways. In 2001, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina awarded a grant to identify the most frail or at-risk clients. 68 clients were identified. They and others like them who have been added to the program now receive Ensure liquid nutritional supplements. Volunteers report that many of the individuals on this program have improved as a result of receiving the supplemental nutrition.
Approximately five years ago, volunteers began reporting that some clients were feeding a portion of their hot lunch to their pets because they were unable to pay for pet food. Meals On Wheels now has a thriving Pet Food program, thanks to the support of many local pet stores, animal welfare organizations, and private individuals.