By Claire Levine

A Meals on Wheels volunteer included a birthday card with a meal she delivered to a man on her route. She later learned it was the first such card he had received since his wife passed away, and it meant the world to him.

Who they are. In 1970, three women observed that some of their older neighbors weren’t getting enough to eat. And they decided to do something about it.

They began serving and delivering hot meals from a church basement. Initially, about a dozen people would gather to eat and visit. The women then started delivering meals on paper plates to an additional group of older adults.

Today, MOWP, the organization that grew from the church basement, serves more than 1.3 million meals a year to people in Multnomah, Washington and Clark Counties. Relying on nearly 2,000 volunteers each year, the organization delivers meals to  just over 10,500 individuals annually. It also provides nutritious meals at congregate dining centers – community and senior centers where people can gather and interact while being served healthy meals.

Who receives a meal? Anyone 60 or older is eligible to receive meal services through MOWP. There are no eligibility requirements other than age to dine at a congregate dining center, and those who would like to receive delivered meals go through a simple intake process.

Reasons to request meal deliveries range widely – from lack of a driver’s license or a car to health problems to simply feeling lost after the death of a spouse. Some recipients just don’t know their way around a kitchen well enough to prepare wholesome meals.

More than a meal. For the MOWP, food is also an entrée to learning about a person’s life, health and wellbeing. Volunteers with the Friendly Chats program routinely call participants to check in on health and safety issues – as well as just talking with seniors who may feel lonely and alone. When called for, the organization helps connect people to services they may need.

The congregate centers are also important tools to prevent people from feeling isolated. Shelah said, “People make friends, and they bring each other gifts on holidays. There’s often live music, and they’re always doing something fun.”

MOWP also offers a Diner’s Club for existing meal recipients – another way to help older neighbors socialize, eat well and stay within their budgets. With the Diner’s Club card, restaurant patrons may pay whatever they can for the regular restaurant fare.

MOWP operates The Diner – a full restaurant open to everyone who wants to enjoy a great meal. Diner’s Club members may dine on their own or bring their families – a way to foster community and create an intergenerational atmosphere. The diner is located at 5303 E. Mill Plain in Vancouver.

The Diner’s service staff earn a wage – plus full health, dental, and retirement benefits! (No tipping, please!) The Diner welcomes donations, which are all directed to MOWP.  The Diner is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

MOWP is delighted to partner with other local restaurants offering Diner’s Club members a range of menu choices on specific days and times.

• XLB, 4090 N. Williams Ave., Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

• Viking House, 310 SW Lincoln St., Portland, Sunday - Thursday, 4 - 9:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 4 to 10:30 p.m.

• Miss Delta, 3950 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland
  Monday - Friday, noon to 4 p.m

Volunteers. For Shelah and Mary Ann, the strength of the organization lies in its volunteers. For example, there’s the long-term volunteer who shares his New York Times with one of the participants on his meal delivery route. On the next visit, the two talk about what they read in the news that week.

Then there’s the volunteer who brings cakes to the staff every week. And the 99-year-old woman who serves meals at a Vancouver congregate dining center “because she likes to help the old people.”

Many current volunteers got in the habit of delivering food when they accompanied their parents on their routes, so it’s a tradition passed on through generations. And because volunteers often visit the same participants, they love feeling connected with those they meet.

The Waterfront Blues Festival has a long history of addressing food insecurity, so MOWP was a natural match for the festival. And Shelah thinks the addition of The JWF is perfect, too, because of the role it plays.

“Food and medical care are the basic things you need to live.” So, these organizations get to the core of peoples’ needs. And Shelah thinks it’s particularly fitting to recognize the JWF, which helps so many of the musicians who perform at the festival or other local venues. “Anyone who loves this festival understands how music and performance add to the vitality of the community.”

MOWP is excited to stand with the Jeremy Wilson Foundation to serve those who need it most. Mary Ann says, “We are truly honored to be a part of such a long-standing Portland institution like the Waterfront Blues Festival.”

Want to help?  The MOWP welcomes your contributions, so they can continue serving the growing number of older adults who need help getting necessary nutrition.They also welcome your participation as an MOWP volunteer – whether it’s helping in the kitchen, delivering meals or making regular safety calls.

A really great way to contribute right now is by buying tickets to a big raffle that will support both Community Partners of the Waterfront Blues Festival. Read about the amazing gift packages, and buy your tickets here.

Or stop by the JWF/MOWP booth at the festival, buy a raffle ticket, talk to the volunteers, and learn more about the organization and how you might get involved.

And you can contribute to MOWP here now, and learn more about volunteering here.

If there’s ever been a feel-good – and worthwhile – partnership, it’s the MOWP, the JWF and the Waterfront Blues Festival combination. We look forward to seeing you at the festival July 4 - 7.