“The pandemic really highlighted the need for our services because seniors were the most vulnerable group, and they were scared,” Day said. “They didn’t want to leave their home, understandably. And so we saw a huge uptick in need for our home-delivered meal services.”
Just before the pandemic began in March 2020, Meals On Wheels Montgomery County moved into its current location at 111 S. Second St., Conroe.
“We have seven [stoves] now, so we were definitely able to grow very quickly once we were in this building, and it just coincided with the pandemic,” Day said. “We wouldn’t have been able to handle the demand with only one stove, so it definitely has helped us increase capacity.”
Celebrating 50 years in 2023, Day said the nonprofit’s goal is to get to 1,000 clients on its home-delivered meal service. It costs around $1,900 to feed a senior for a year, Day said.
“When we add [a senior] to service, we have to be aware that we’re going to hopefully be able to serve them for many years,” Day said.
Day said the waitlist serves as more of an intake process for its home-delivered meal service.
“The clients that are what we call ‘911 clients’—say they just got released from the hospital, they had a stroke, and they need our home-delivered meal service—they can start as early as the next day,” Day said. “Some of the clients that are in between congregate and home-delivered meal qualifications, they might wait a month before they can start service.”
To qualify for home-delivered meals, a senior must be at least 60 years old, homebound and living in Montgomery County, according to the nonprofit’s website.
The meals themselves are all made from scratch with the kitchen making 1,400 meals a day for the nonprofit, Day said. Day said the nonprofit has about 90 routes that volunteers drive to deliver meals to serve the entire county.
Beyond the meal delivery service, Meals On Wheels Montgomery County also serves seniors at congregate dining locations and, through its transportation program, drives seniors to medical appointments such as dialysis and to get things such as groceries. The transportation program does around 1,400 trips a month.
“There’s a slogan with Meals On Wheels saying, ‘More than a meal.’” Day said. “That’s truly what it is. For a lot of our clients, the social interaction means more to them than the food that we bring them.”
Meals On Wheels Montgomery County
111 S. Second St., Conroe
936-756-5828
www.mowmc.org
