WesleyLife Meals on Wheels

Project Description

WesleyLife Meals on Wheels prepares and delivers 2,000 hot and nutritious meals to vulnerable older adults and veterans in central Iowa each day. As a lifeline to the clients served, WesleyLife is the largest non-profit provider of home-delivered meals in the state of Iowa.

This program is so much more than a meal and the major differentiators are:
• Home-delivered meals for those who are homebound, unable to prepare meals, or with morbidities
• Safety checks that reduce social isolation, improve well-being and save lives
• Provision of food for pets (donated through Pet Project Midwest) to promote companionship for isolated clients
• Focus on nutrition security by providing fresh greens that are grown on site at WesleyLife's Prairie Meadows' Hydroponic Farm

Addressing food insecurity and social isolation, while promoting health and well-being for Meals on Wheels' clients is critical because of the following demographic statistics:
• 10,000 food insecure older adults live in Polk and Dallas counties
•82% of our clients are at 185% of federal poverty rate ($27,000 annual fixed
income).
•68% of those we serve live alone; most
are women. Average client is 76 with multiple health issues.
•Program reduces hospitalizations by average of 39% due to nutritional
content and wellness aspects.
•Since 2016, wellness checks have saved 3-7 lives a year (gas leaks, falls, medical emergencies).