Pacific Grove, Calif. – December 16, 2021 – Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula (MOWMP) announced today it has partnered with United Way Monterey County (UWMC) to provide meals for COVID-quarantining clients across its delivery territory. This partnership aims to facilitate quarantining and isolation for Monterey Peninsula residents who test positive for COVID-19 by ensuring the delivery of freshly prepared meals five days a week.
Since March, MOWMP has prepared and delivered 14,330 meals to 340 quarantining clients – ranging in age from 1 to 93 – in 136 households. These clients reside in every area MOWMP serves including Pacific Grove, Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach, Seaside, Big Sur, Marina, Sand City, and Del Rey Oaks.
MOWMP’s efforts are powered by its partnership with UWMC and its Smart Referral Software which helps local agencies make closed-loop referrals. Case managers use the software to search for services and generate a prioritized list of agencies that address a particular need. Through this system, MOWMP receives notifications every time a new referral is sent, which directs the agency to contact the client within 24-hours and arrange meal delivery.
“MOWMP is a safety net organization, so, in response to the pandemic, we swiftly shifted to new procedures for preparing and delivering meals to our clients,” says Christine Winge, MOWMP’s executive director. Winge continues, “Over the past year, the demand for our services has nearly doubled and the partnership with United Way helps ensure the most vulnerable people in our community are provided with food and wellness checks.”
“We changed to a no-contact delivery approach to keep our clients – many of whom already have underlying medical conditions – as safe as possible,” Winge adds.
“I am very proud of our team and how community partners like United Way have stepped up to participate in meeting the need for food in our community. Together, we will get through this challenging time and emerge stronger and more united than ever before.” Winge concludes, “We are grateful for our partners at United Way, and for our volunteers who, day in and day out, are on the frontlines to deliver meals and ensure our clients are safe.”
The partnership with UWMC is in addition to the hundreds of seniors, disabled adults, and veterans across the Central Coast who rely on MOWMP for their meals because most, if not all, are homebound and unable to shop or cook for themselves. Outside of this partnership, MOWMP has seen a 94% increase in demand of its services over the past year.
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