Meals on Wheels Diablo Region Delivers Record Number of Meals

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has been fighting hunger in the senior community for decades, but the Covid-19 pandemic and as this global crisis continues, Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has caused in the number of seniors in need. “I was really surprised that I was accepted after the pandemic started, because all I would see on TV was people in need of food. Honestly, I thought with all the budget cuts that this service didn’t exist anymore,” said Katherine of San Ramon.

Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has served seniors like Katherine for more than 50 years, but in March of 2020 we saw the demand skyrocket. “We serve thousands of seniors every month and the need is growing dramatically. We have seen our service increase by 40 percent since the start of the pandemic,” said Meals on Wheels Diablo Region Executive Director, Caitlin Sly. “We have kept up with the demand thanks to the generosity of our donors.”

Our café sites, which usually give isolated seniors an opportunity to socialize over a meal, can no longer serve a sit-down meal so we shifted gears to ensure café clients didn’t go hungry. “Since Covid-19, we have been delivering 2,200 extra meals a week to the 440 people who participated in our café program,” said Meals on Wheels Diablo Region C.C. Café Specialist Bonnie Paulson.

Seniors are the fastest-growing population in our community and are often the “hidden hungry” because they are homebound and isolated. We knew one meal wasn’t enough for many of our clients, so Meals on Wheels Diablo Region launched its Breakfast Bag Program in May 2020. Breakfast Bags provide healthy food like fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, string cheese, hard boiled eggs, coffee, and tea. The program is currently serving 190 breakfast bags a week to seniors in Bethel Island, Bay Point, Brentwood and Concord, and hopes to expand throughout the county. The program is already making a difference since clients no longer have to divide their meals to be for lunch, dinner and the food they need to take with medications.

Katherine has nothing but praise for the meals she is being delivered by MOW Diablo Region. “This has been a lifesaver for me. It’s the difference from being hungry and feeling fed. I’m just thankful Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is there for us seniors.”