MARCH FOR MEALS: Senior Food Program Calls for Donations
month-long campaign supports widely utilized Meals on Wheels program
As participation continues to grow in the local Meals on Wheels program, organized by the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), this spring’s fundraising campaign will support its continued service to over 1,000 area seniors.
After 2020, Meals on Wheels participation jumped 20% to 30%, driving the need to expand. In June 2023, the program made its move into a new 5,000-square-foot kitchen just south of the city of Eau Claire next to the Eau Claire County Highway Facility. The $1.8 million kitchen gave the staff a much larger space to cook, resulting in an increased amount of meals made, plus a walk-in cooler, freezer, and additional equipment.
The new kitchen has continued to be utilized well. Meals on Wheels delivered nearly 100,000 meals to over 1,500 individuals in 2024. This month, the program’s annual fundraiser – March For Meals – invites area organizations and individuals to sponsor some of those meals.
“The Meals on Wheels program in Eau Claire County serves a hot, made-from-scratch meal to approximately 450 homebound seniors every weekday,” a recent media release stated. “One year of Meals on Wheels, per participant, is the same cost as one day in the hospital.”
Meals on Wheels delivered nearly 100,000 meals to over 1,500 individuals in 2024.
Meals on Wheels is intended for those ages 60 and older who can’t easily leave their homes, as well as their spouses. Eau Claire, Chippewa, and northern Trempealeau County benefit from the largely volunteer-staffed program.
Funding mainly comes from the federal government’s Older Americans Act, though 40% comes directly from donations and the local level, ADRC Director Linda Struck said.
The March for Meals program will accept any donation amount, with a suggested contribution of $5. “$125 will sponsor 25 meals and $625 will sponsor 125 meals,” Struck added.
Contributions can be made by clicking the “Make a Difference Donate” button at www.eauclaireadrc.org, over the phone at (715) 839-4886, or by sending a check to the ADRC (Attn: March for Meals, ADRC of Eau Claire County, 721 Oxford Ave., Suite 1130, Eau Claire 54703).
Learn more about the Meals on Wheels program, donate, or sign up to receive meals at www.eauclaireadrc.org.
