Nanuet, NY – Meals on Wheels Programs & Services of Rockland’s mission is to enhance the wellness of Rockland’s older adults and their families by providing services that support their safety, independence and health. Our vision is that every older adult in Rockland is living their life to the fullest. The agency aims to provide services, regardless of ethnicity, gender, resources or ability, and to do so in such a way to provide the most support possible. In particular, the agency seeks to reach those that may be especially at-risk, frail or isolated, and therefore we target our outreach efforts to that vulnerable population.
Ultimately, the agency strives to provide an on-going continuum of services to enhance our participants’ overall health, independence, and access to services, thereby preventing or forestalling premature institutionalization, and as a result enabling participants to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. In order to accomplish this, the agency works with a professional staff, hundreds of volunteers and many public and private groups.
Founded in 1974, our Home Delivered Meals Program has been our core service since the beginning. We deliver nutritious meals to Rockland residents who cannot shop or cook for themselves due to illness, temporary disability or permanent physical disability. Home delivered meals is the major part of our greater continuum of care that enables older adults to remain as independent as possible and living in their own homes. In addition to the daily meals, caring volunteers deliver a friendly, personal connection, a safety check, and an important link to the greater community. In response to the new, greater issues our recipients have faced since COVID-19, we have initiated a Telephone Reassurance Program to help alleviate feelings of isolation amongst our homebound and check on their health and mental well-being. Our other programs include senior activity centers, which provide transportation, food and socialization through various programming. Additionally, we work with a program to provide home meals for cancer patients and with our partners in Rockland County to aid in food recovery for the food insecure.
In 2022, we delivered over 164,000 meals! This would not have been possible without donors who share the belief that we must all come together, appreciate and look out for the seniors in our community, who took care of us for so long. Our collective goal is that seniors are not left behind, forgotten or hungry. Instead, they are able to live out the independent lives they deserve and enjoy the kind of life-giving connections that will nourish them as they continue to age. Moreover, as they continue to age, we love to celebrate all our meal recipients, especially landmark birthdays for example — this includes 26 recipients that turned 100 or more this past year! That momentous 164,000 meals served, is up +36% from the same time frame pre-COVID-19. It is challenging to keep up, but we do, thanks to all those who care and give what they can. Our army of Volunteers also make it possible. There were 650 people who volunteered in some way this year; this includes 170 people who regularly drive one of our 60 meal routes.
