A new partnership between Meals on Wheels San Antonio and the City of San Antonio will allow the organization to serve even more seniors in the community.
On Thursday, City Council granted the Senior Nutrition Program contract to Meals on Wheels San Antonio.
The one-year contract is valued at over $2 million and there are four one-year renewal options close to $4 million each year.
The program is funded through the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services through the Alamo Area Council of Governments, and offered at senior centers across the city.
Meals on Wheels will be able to expand their services up to 2,700 meals a day and at least 700, 000 meals a year.
“Starting in January, we will be providing the meals for the city Senior Centers. There’s 52 across the city, and we will be responsible for providing lunch for all those seniors that attend the centers,” said Forrest Myane, Chief Development Officer with Meals on Wheels SA.
Adults 60-years and older and their spouses, in addition to their children with disabilities are also provided free meals in the Senior Nutrition Program.
“It's our mission to serve seniors with both the nourishment and care they deserve. It is especially important during this pandemic to ensure our city’s most vulnerable population receives the specific meals they need, in recipes they enjoy, and wraparound resources that will bolster their quality of life. We are delighted to enrich the Senior Nutrition Program with all we have learned about older San Antonians in the last four decades,” said Vinsen Faris, CEO of Meals on Wheels San Antonio
Myane said the Coronavirus pandemic created an even greater need for help and assistance.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we served a little over 3,000 people every single day. One of the challenges in the pandemic is there have been a lot more people who need services. So, now we’re closer to 4,000 and we’ve added 1,200 clients during this period,” said Myane.
Myane said they anticipate the need will grow as the holiday season approaches.
“On Thanksgiving every single year, normally we serve half of our clients,” said Myane. “We think it will probably be larger this year because families are trying to be more careful and not see their loved ones if they don’t have to.”
Meals on Wheels said they are one of the last large Texas cities still operating regularly during the pandemic.
"We really are excited to partner with the city to serve even more people than we do right now," said Myane.
Meals on Wheels San Antonio is always looking for people to help deliver meals. Follow this link to their website, if you’d like to volunteer your time.