Our Mission
The mission of Meals on Wheels Rowan is to provide innovative and comprehensive programs to meet the nutritional, emotional, and physical needs of homebound older adults in Rowan County.
Our programs improve a senior's quality of life, resulting in better nutrition, health, and mental health outcomes, empowering participants to maintain their dignity and independence while aging.
Our Philosophy
Meals on Wheels Rowan is committed to serving high-quality food and growing purposefully in participation and service. Our services will be provided for as long as our participants are homebound, in need of nutritious meals, and able to safely age in the place of their choosing.
We are committed to maintaining a culture that recognizes, promotes, respects, and values all people. We embrace the enrichment that diversity of thought, perspective, experience, background, and people bring to our organization. These values enrich our vision of living a nourished life. Our Staff and Board will listen, learn, and leverage our resources to be inclusive and equitable. Our actions and communications will indicate to our volunteers, participants, and community that we are committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
our HISTORY
In 1976, local volunteer Jean Anne Ferrier Ramsay brought together a group of concerned citizens in Salisbury to discuss hunger relief programs for homebound citizens. They quickly discovered that many older adults were homebound and unable to prepare their own meals, but wished to continue living independently at home. Inspired by the Meals on Wheels model, the group launched a program to deliver nutritious meals and social engagement with each visit.
Meals on Wheels Rowan today
- Our Daily Impact: Volunteers deliver between 300 and 325 meals every weekday.
- Our Reach: We deliver 31 delivery routes across all 511 square miles of Rowan County.
- Who We Serve: Homebound older adults ages 60 and older living in Rowan County.
- Nutrition: Each meal provides one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients for older adults.
- Meal Program Cost: Each meal costs $12.80, which includes
- The direct meal cost
- Transportation to volunteer meal pick-up sites
- Staff support
- Participant intake and reassessments
- Volunteer recruitment, orientation, and training
- Grocery Delivery: Grocery volunteers shop for and deliver groceries to 40 clients twice a month.
- Community Support: Over 1,000 dedicated volunteers give their time (and gas!) to offer homebound seniors in Rowan County not just a meal but a friendly visit and vital safety check.