Fifty years ago, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula filled a local void in senior services.
PACIFIC GROVE — Fifty years ago, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula filled a local void in senior services. Now, after decades of giving back, the staple of community support is poised to celebrate not just how far it’s come, but where it’s headed.
Next week, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula will be kicking off a year-long nod to its tenure on the Central Coast with the opening of its “Walk of History” exhibit, located at the Meals on Wheels Community Center in Pacific Grove. Set to unveil from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, the exhibit is a visual walkthrough of the organization’s roots, progress and accomplishments.
“This anniversary is everything to us,” said Jacob Shafer, the director of development for Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula. “We’re excited and honored and proud. All of the volunteers that came before us, the board of directors – they helped culminate some really exemplary work over the last 50 years. We’re lucky to be in a place where we can celebrate what we’re all about, what we’ve done and where we’re going.”
Every year, Meals on Wheels delivers thousands of meals to homebound seniors and disabled adults on the Peninsula. Through its community center, the organization offers recreational and social activities for older adults, broadening its mission from just nutritional services to overall wellness.
Shafer explained that 2022 is a particularly poignant year to be ringing in half a century of service, largely in part due to COVID-19. He said that since the start of the pandemic, meal production at Meals of Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula has more than doubled. In 2021 alone, the organization delivered 110,800 meals to clients across the area with the help of 525 volunteers. The ramp-up in need, Shafer said, put the work Meals on Wheels does every day, and has done since 1972, into perspective.
“We’re celebrating at a really interesting time because we’ve seen such a huge increase in the demand of services over the last two years,” said Shafer. “We’ve been here for homebound seniors for 50 years and have never served more people or more meals than we have right now.”
Beyond Monday’s unveiling, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula will also be participating in a national event known as March for Meals, which commemorates the start of the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program. In March of 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older. The March for Meals event asks local programs to bring attention to Meals on Wheels’ national impact, which Shafer plans to do on the Peninsula through online social media campaigns.
Anniversary festivities will likewise continue alongside local events and projects throughout the year. Shafer said these will include a celebration at Pacific Grove’s 63rd annual Good Old Days in May, a partnership with the Pacific Grove Golf Links, and a presence at Carmel Plaza’s Live Music Series in June, among others.
“We are excited to promote and celebrate 50 years of success on the Monterey Peninsula and garner the support needed to ensure our programs will continue to address food insecurity, enabling independence, and improved health for years to come,” said Christine Winge, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula executive director.
