As the age 65 and older population continues to grow, nonprofit organizations in Harris and Montgomery counties are looking to expand services to serve more aging residents in Tomball and Magnolia.

“Montgomery County has grown exponentially and so has the need for senior services,” said Bonnie Pfrenger, director of development for Conroe-based nonprofit organization Meals on Wheels Montgomery County.

As of Oct. 8, the organization delivers meals to 35 Magnolia and Pinehurst seniors with 30 others on the waiting list.

“While we are currently servicing 500 seniors, we have more than 400 seniors on the waiting list,” she said. “We’ve got to get more funding—that’s the only thing holding us back.”

Along with nutritious meal deliveries, the organization’s volunteers provide safety checks for seniors at their residences as well as companionship, Executive Director Allison Hulett said.

“Really for $1,200 a year, or $100 a month, what they get as far as programming goes is pretty spectacular,” Hulett said. “Our volunteers will report back to us any concerns they have. We had a volunteer go [to a home] one time, and the client had fallen in the garage. Some of our clients have family that stop by, but a lot of them don’t.”

The organization also provides transportation for about 1,200 trips a month to bring homebound seniors to medical appointments and run errands in the community, Hulett said. To qualify for Meals on Wheels services, seniors must be homebound and approved through a physical assessment check, she said.

With only about 25 paid staff members, the organization is primarily operated through its 180 volunteers, Pfrenger said. Meals on Wheels receives most of its funding through federal and local grants but is seeking more donations to expand its services to additional seniors in need, she said.

In Tomball, seniors age 60 and older can receive nutritious meals through Interfaith Ministries’ Meals on Wheels.

“I think a lot of people can’t afford assisted living, so they end up staying home,” Pfrenger said. “You would be shocked how many seniors end up going to bed hungry. A lot of them live off Social Security, which is not a lot to live off of.”