FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
We probably cannot answer every
question about senior meal programs here
but these are asked often:
About Programs
About MealCall
About Programs:
Delivery meal programs are generally designed
to help those that are homebound, ill,
and frail to periodically get
a nutritious meal that is ready or near
ready to eat.
Congregate meal programs are
also designed to assist seniors to
obtain a nutritious meal, but they are
not reserved for those who have mobility
or health problems. Such programs
are generally available to any senior
who meets the criteria (often just a
minimum age), as long as there are
available resources. Available
resources will vary from community to
community and organization to
organization.
Congregate meal programs have many
benefits other than nutrition.
These include getting out, socializing, and even
having participants volunteer their own time.
Congregate meal programs are
a great way to combat loneliness and
make new friends.
Programs vary from
location to location, even within the
same program. It is best to
contact a local program to see what
services are offered.
There are a wide variety of programs
available, and this information is not in
any way meant to be reflective of any
given program. Each program will operate
differently and have different
operational facts and criteria. If you have questions
about your local program, you should
contact them directly.
Meal programs generally fall into one
of two categories, Congregate and
Delivered. Many communities offer
both.
Congregate meals are defined
as meals that are served to many seniors
at a remote location (like at a senior
center or church), and offer the
chance to socialize and sometimes
participate in additional
activities. These activities vary from
location to location. Where
offered, congregate programs are often
easier to get into because they require
fewer staff and resources.
Delivered meals are brought to the
person's home and are generally reserved
for those that have a hard time leaving
their home due to injury, illness, or
frailty. Delivered programs
may be called Meals-on-Wheels or any
other name but they all serve the same
purpose.
Meals on Wheels is more of a descriptive term
than a name, though many programs call
themselves Meals-On-Wheels for the sake
of understanding and recognition.
Programs using the name Meals-On-Wheels almost always deliver meals
to the home, though
some Meals-On-Wheels programs also have
a congregate meal service arm as well.
This varies from community to
community and program to program.
Many programs are at capacity and
maintain a waiting list so it is best to
inquire sooner than later. Many
programs are limited in their ability to
provide services, so those that require
services the most will be taken
first. This is especially true of
meal delivery programs.
If you are only temporarily
disabled such as after an accident,
injury, or surgery, there may be a limited amount
of time that you can be on the
program. Once recovered and able
to shop and cook for yourself again,
your services would probably be
terminated to make room for someone
else.
Meal delivery programs are for those
that have some kind of need. They
are not designed to take the place of
every meal, offered only for the
convenience of the client or their
families, and availability depends upon
the financial and volunteer resources of
the local agency. Only those with
a need will be considered and this need
may have to be verified.
Congregate programs are not as
restrictive and often the only criteria
are participant age and the availability
of resources.
Since program requirements vary, it
is best to contact your local program to
determine if you meet their requirements
and what limitations may apply.
The short answer is usually YES,
often MAYBE, and sometimes NO.
When money is involved, it is
generally a significantly reduced amount
and affordable by most people.
Different programs have different
rules and while there is a cost, it is
often a "suggested
donation". Some programs base
these on income level or some other
criteria. Hardship cases
sometimes get preferential prices or no-cost
meals.
An
average cost or suggested donation would be somewhere between
$2-4
per meal but again, this varies. To determine what costs may apply,
you should contact your local program
office.
The first step is obviously to
contact local offices near you to find
out which services are right for you,
which programs are available, and which
programs you may qualify for. MealCall
will not do this for you.
Search
this index for the program nearest
you.
To make
sure that program funds are used
properly in meal delivery programs, you may get a call or visit from a
social worker asking for relevant
information. You may also be
required to get a letter from your
doctor or a social worker, or be required
to apply in writing. Again, this
depends on the requirements of
your local program and these statements may
or may not apply.
Participation in congregate programs
is different and varies.
Some take walk-ins, others require that
you sign up in advance. If they
are at maximum capacity, you may have to
wait. They may be limited by
staff, financial resources, or available
seating.
To find out what the specific
qualifications are for any program, you
should contact the program directory via
phone or email. Again, start this
process early as there are often waiting
lists that can last for weeks or months.
This varies from day to day and
program to program. An example of
a cold meal might be a sandwich, a piece
of fruit (or juice) and one or two side
dishes. An example of a hot meal
might be a serving of meat, a vegetable,
and a roll or biscuit. A piece of
dessert could also be included.
These are
just examples. Other items
may be added as well but again, this
varies. Serving sizes vary but are adequate for the meal served. Some
locations may also provide Kosher or other
ethnic meals.
If you have questions about what is
provided, you should contact your local
meal program administrator or volunteer.
Look for an adequate meal but not huge
quantities. Light eaters might
possibly have enough leftovers for a
snack or a second meal, but this should
not necessarily be expected.
Neither should you expect meals that are
expensive, take tons of time to prepare,
or should be served and consumed within
minutes of preparation. Where meals are delivered, it can
take awhile between the time the meals
are picked up from the prep location and when they are
delivered. Some locations may
deliver frozen meals that must be
heated.
Congregate meal options have more
flexibility and could be defined as
cafeteria style food and service.
This varies and is generally
dependent upon funds availability and
the number of volunteers. In
almost all cases, there is at least one
meal provided per week. Many
programs provide one meal per day and a
few provide up to two meals. Some
programs deliver during the week, but
not on weekends while others have more
extensive delivery.
Meal delivery is generally provided
by volunteers. Volunteers can
range from late teens to older
seniors. They sometimes use their own vehicles and
sometimes use provided
vehicles.
This may be possible where there are
special dietary restrictions and you may have several options.
Delivered meals services do a great job
but cannot offer you a restaurant menu. Even when there are
choices, these choices are often quite
limited. Most programs either
have special orders or generally prepare
their meals to be in line with common
dietary restrictions such as lower
sodium or diabetic meals.
Meal
programs are meant to be a baseline
nutrition program and they work on high
volume and low funds. To avoid
throwing away food and wasting money,
they must know in advance what they are going to
prepare and deliver each day.
Again, this can vary from program to
program. If you have special
dietary restrictions or just can't eat
certain foods, ask! Delivery meal
services are meant to help you.
But if you don't tell them how you need
help, it is hard to know what you need.
While this does happen from time to
time, this is not the purpose of the
volunteer. If you have a physical
emergency, you can certainly ask for
assistance. If you don't feel
well, let the volunteer
know.
As for assistance with other tasks,
it isn't that
volunteers don't want to help you
out. Most programs however, do not
allow their volunteers to do much
because of liability reasons, the health
and safety of the volunteer, and because
they probably have many other meals to
deliver.
Volunteers often sit and
visit for awhile, but please respect what
they do and why they do it. Some
program volunteers have many
deliveries. If they don't have
time to visit, please don't take it
personally. They have many other
people to get to and of course, a life
of their own. Remember, they are
volunteers, not paid staff. Please
do not ask volunteers to lift heavy
objects, do household chores, or take
you places.
Absolutely! Most programs work
with, have consulted with, or subscribe
to the direction of a professional
nutrition expert. Food quality and
sanitation are essential and regulated.
Nutritional experts are generally
involved at some level and they take
into account the diets, eating ability,
and tastes of a large number of
participants when choosing menus.
Considerations include taste,
nutritional value, caloric value, salt
content, fat content, ability to chew
and digest the food, gastric-bowel reactions,
and more.
Many but not all programs do receive
some funding from a variety of
government sources, but this can vary
depending upon budgets. However,
these do not completely fund all
programs. In most cases, demand
for services outweighs the supply of
resources and funding and local
organizations must seek additional
sources of income.
Additional income sources would
include business and personal donations,
partial funding through suggested
contributions from recipients or
recipient's family, other charitable
conglomerate organizations such as
United Way, and many local meal programs
conduct fundraising projects or drives.
A lack of funding and volunteers as
well as a growing senior population in
the U.S. often leads to waiting lists
for meal programs, especially those that
deliver food. When budgets are
cut, services must either seek
additional sources of revenue or cut
back on services. Most programs depend on
volunteers, outside monetary and/or food
donations, and a small fee charged to the
person receiving the meal.
Absolutely! We are adding more
every day and more meal programs are
constantly opening. MealCall will
never have a perfect or complete list,
as things change daily. However, at
this moment what we have is
online. MealCall will continue to
find more meal programs across the
country so come back often to see what's
new. If we do not show a program,
ask! In most cases, we can find at
least one program within a few miles of
your location. Contact
us for further information.
About MealCall
No, MealCall does not accept private
donations. We prefer to see you
donate at the local level. At some
time in the future, we may accept
donations to help programs in trouble.
Running our own program however, is done
with volunteers and a small amount of ad
revenue.
If you are a program administrator or
otherwise involved with a meal program,
you may submit
your information. There are no
costs involved. If you have a
current program that is listed but the
information is wrong, please use the same
form.
None whatsoever! MealCall is
free to search and we don't take money
from local meal programs. MealCall
is sponsor supported. We invite
you tell associates and friends about
MealCall, and look forward to helping in
any way that we can.
MealCall provides consumer and
industry services. By publishing
and constantly updating our list of
providers, we help those in need to
connect with the programs that they
require. In doing so, we also help
local programs with their PR costs.
MealCall also helps by providing
industry services to local
organizations, helping them connect with
each other to exchange ideas and
information. MealCall will be
adding more services as time goes on.
We'd like to hear from you. Let
us know what kinds of online services
and information that you would like to
see. Contact
us!
