Demand & Costs Rise For Rural Meals On Wheels

Sitting down for a hot meal with loved ones is a luxury that most of us have every day. But for Wisconsin’s rural seniors who may be homebound, isolated, and unable to prepare their own food… the story is different.

Ronda James is the nutrition program director at the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Central Wisconsin. They serve Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, and Wood counties with the Meals on Wheels program. This program delivers a ready to eat, balanced meal to the home of persons age 60+ who are mostly homebound or isolated and unable to prepare meals. Delivery frequency depends upon geographic location, volunteer ability, route capacity.

Just last year, James’ small team and 350+ volunteers delivered 145,000 meals to more than 1,300 residents.

Unfortunately, James says their costs have gone up about 30 percent as the demand for the program also grows. She says Wisconsin’s older population (60+) has skyrocketed in the past decade. Nearly a third of that entire population is rural.

James says the Meals on Wheels program would not exist without volunteers. Delivery routes sometimes creep up to 60 miles in total. That’s 30 miles from a “city center” such as Merrill, Antigo, or Wisconsin Rapids. Marathon County is the largest geographic county in Wisconsin, so it’s hard to reach the farthest corners of the county with volunteers because it takes 80-100 miles in a day, James says.

The catering cost per meal (food/food prep, delivery to ADRC kitchen) is about $6.50-7.75 per meal. The total ADRC-CW costs (caterer cost + ADRC labor, supplies, fuel for delivery, etc) is $12-15 per meal. The ADRC does suggest a contribution from recipients of $5 per meal. But no eligible person is denied service due to inability to contribute to the cost of the meal.

The benefits of the Meals on Wheels program go beyond basic nutrition. It provides food security, socialization, and a wellness check.