As Winge points out, “Too many times, the seniors in our communities become invisible. Meals on Wheels does more than just provide home delivery of healthy food for seniors within our communities. It is important to remember that maintaining human connection is a critical and essential part of physical and mental health as we grow older and risk becoming more isolated.”
Cohost Jackie Gardina noted that, “Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula’s mission is to empower seniors, disabled adults, veterans, and other underserved populations to remain independent and to combat isolation – an epidemic situation in many of our communities. In California alone, more than 1.6 million seniors live alone.”
One challenge that MOWMP is currently navigating is the need to scale operations effectively to keep up with the increasing demand for services. The organization is exploring opportunities to expand their network of volunteers and partners to help reach even more individuals in need. They are proactively seeking ways to differentiate the organization through innovative service offerings, such as providing meals to schools and other community organizations.
Cohost Mitch Winick pointed out that, “Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula has spent the last half-century becoming an essential part of the safety net for seniors and other homebound individuals. Seniors are many times the most vulnerable population in California with more than 1.3 million seniors living below the poverty line and over 1.2 million experiencing limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Across the U.S. nearly 13 million older adults face food uncertainty every day.”
In response to this challenge, Meals on Wheels America reports that it is currently serving more than 251 million meals to over 2,000,000 seniors per year across the U.S.
To listen to Winge’s SideBar season three episode with law deans Jackie Gardina and Mitch Winick, hear previous episodes, read the blog, learn about future guests, and to contact the co-hosts with ideas, comments, or questions, visit sidebarmedia.org and to learn more about MOWMP and its programs serving the community, click here.
