Meals on Wheels helps Central Texans ‘age with dignity’

The nonprofit offers various meal and nutritional programs, including:

• Home-delivered meals
• Healthy Options Program for the Elderly
  • Grocery delivery
• Groceries to go
  • Volunteer-supported grocery shopping
• Congregate lunch centers

• Home repair
• Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors
• Personal care services
  • Medication reminders, personal hygiene, etc.
• Homemaker services
  • Laundry, shopping, light housekeeping, etc.
• Supportive services
  • Respite care for caregivers, prescription pick up, accompaniment to medical appointments, etc.
• Concierge services
  • $32/hour

Assessing the need

A 2024 presentation by the Texas Demographic Center showed that the population 65 and older grew approximately five times faster than the total U.S. population.

“In five years, there will be more people north of 65 than under the age of 15,” Van de Putte said. “We do not have the infrastructure in place and don't have the time to build an entire aging network from scratch.”

Additionally, while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program does not fund MOWCTX, the temporary pause on SNAP benefits earlier this year put a strain on the nonprofit.

“Ninety percent of the people calling are outside our service guidelines,” Van de Putte said. “They’re folks who are either too young [or] they're not functionally homebound. But that administrative process of a 200% increase in call volume was extremely paralyzing to our organization.”

One result of the recent federal government shutdown, which lasted 43 days, is administrative delays. MOWCTX is partially funded by federal and state reimbursement grants, meaning the organization spends money that is later repaid by the government. Van de Putte said any delays in reimbursements are “really hard to deal with.”

“There's no stat that says these are individuals that gave a lifetime to this community,” Van de Putte said. “And for us to say ‘we got you’ after a lifetime of them getting us is so important.”

Looking ahead

The MOWCTX team is considering something they’ve never done before: allowing people to pay for services. Normally, individuals don’t have to pay to receive a hot meal, groceries or support from the MOWCTX team.

By introducing a fee-for-service model, people who fall outside of service guidelines can benefit from MOWCTX programs and help subsidize them.

“It helps us expand our reach with more scale,” Van de Putte said. “That means the cost of every meal comes down, which means we can serve more people who need it by serving people who can afford it.”

Those interested in supporting MOWCTX can do so by:

• Making a one-time donation
• Making monthly donations
• Volunteering

Those interested can reach out to Director of Development Gissell Perez at [email protected] for more information on how to get involved.

Quote of note

“As we enter the holiday season ... a lot of the people we serve have outlived a lot of their family and friends,” Van de Putte said. “And so, please don't forget about those who have no one.”