Meals on Wheels

What is Meals on Wheels?            

Since 1970, The American Red Cross Illinois Capital Area Chapter has provided Springfield with its only nationally certified Meals on Wheels program. This service provides a low-cost/no cost meal delievery service to clients in Sangamon County.

The program offers a diverse menu of healthy and nutritious meals, which are prepared at Memorial Medical Center. In addition, the Meals on Wheels program is the only meal delivery service in the area that offers special, dietary-specific meals to its clients. The program provides lunches, with breakfast also being available.

These include providing special meals for those who require a:

• Low-sodium diet
• Diabetic diet
• Low-fat diet
• Low-cholesterol diet
• Renal diet
• Cardiac diet
• Pureed diet
  
  

Who does the program help?

The program helps senior citizens, convalescents, people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and others who may need meals delivered on a short or long-term basis to remain out of hospital and nursing home care. It does this by providing them with hot, nutritious meals delivered right to their doors each day. Nearly 100 clients receive meals through this service on a daily basis.

• Last year, the Meals on Wheels program served 205 clients and delivered over 17,000 meals.
  

Become a Volunteer Meals on Wheels Driver

The Chapter is always looking for volunteer drivers to sign up to drive a route and deliver meals to the clients. Frequently, the program relies on local churches to supply volunteers, but there is an urgent need for more volunteer drivers to cover routes in the coming months. As the program expands and the number of clients increases, volunteer drivers will be all the more important. No experience is required, just a desire to make a difference.

Each route only takes about an hour, and drivers can volunteer according to their schedule. By bringing our clients meals and providing them with some social interaction, drivers make a huge difference in the lives of our Meals on Wheels clients and make sure they're doing okay.

Read one Meals on Wheels volunteer's personal story and what she gets out of her volunteer experience with the program.

To learn more about volunteering in the Chapter's Meals on Wheels program, please call 217-787-7602 ext. 247 or email email our Meals on Wheels Coordinator.