Senior Resources expands Meals on Wheels to Fruitland
by Margaret Hurlbert
August 29, 2022

MUSCATINE, Iowa–Nothing warms the heart quite like a good hot meal. For older adults and adults with disabilities who struggle to prepare nutritious meals for themselves, Senior Resources’ Meals on Wheels program can help, bringing a daily hot lunch (or prepared meal to warm up on Sunday) and giving the chance to see a friendly volunteer. For years, Meals on Wheels has served the Muscatine Community, making it easier for older adults and people with disabilities to maintain their independence and stay in their own homes. This August, Meals on Wheels expanded their reach, adding their very first route in Fruitland.

When Senior Resources received a request for Meals on Wheels service from a couple living in Fruitland, they wanted to add them to the program. Starting the week of Aug. 22, Senior Resources changed up one of their Meals on Wheels routes to reach Fruitland and get the couple the nutritious meals they needed.

Though Senior Resources has only received one official request for Meals on Wheels service in Fruitland, Megan Francis, marketing and communications and executive assistant for Vison 2020, an organization that works with Senior Resources, expects interest in the service to increase as more people learn about its availability. “We only have one house in Fruitland receiving homebound delivery meals, but we feel there are probably others in the area that could benefit from the service, so we wanted to ensure people know the service is available in the area,” she stressed.

If you live in Fruitland or Muscatine and would like to see if you qualify for Meals on Wheels, Francis recommends getting in touch with Senior Resources and asking for either Meals on Wheels Coordinator Rachel King or Outreach Coordinator Laura Vargas by calling 563-263-7292 or emailing the Meals on Wheels program directly.

As Meals on Wheels continues to grow to reach more people in the community, Senior Resources will also need more volunteers to make sure they have drivers available to service each route every day. Meals on Wheels volunteers only need to have the ability to drive meals to peoples’ homes and to dedicate about an hour of their time each week around midday to drop the meals off. An easy way to get more involved in the community, Francis observed, “it will probably be the most rewarding hour of your week.” People in Muscatine and Fruitland who would like to drive for Meals on Wheels can reach out to King and Vargas by phone or email just like potential clients can.

By assisting older adults and people with disabilities in getting the delicious and healthy food they need to thrive and giving people a chance to give back to their community in a straightforward way, Francis feels good about the work Meals on Wheels does as well as its recent expansion into Fruitland. “The goal is for seniors to live healthy independent lives as long as they can, and Meals on Wheels is one program that can help seniors maintain their independence.”

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