Meals On Wheels trucking along at 40

AUSTIN (KXAN) -  

It began in 1972 as a grassroots organization in East Austin with just eight volunteers delivering meals to 29 homebound seniors three times a week.

Today "Meals on Wheels and More" is an indispensable part of the fabric of Austin.

Consider the statistics:

• Meals distributed in 2011: 967,495
• Meals distributed daily: 3500
• Clients reached annually: 5264

The Friday menu included Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya.

“There is no complaint about the food. The only complaint will be if they stop delivering,” one elderly client told KXAN. Friday’s delivery included frozen foods for the weekend when the service is not available.

Volunteers are the backbone of the efforts at Meals on Wheels and More.

• Number of volunteers: 6874
• Hours contributed by volunteers: 111,507
• Value of volunteer hours: $2.4 million
• Percentage of meals delivered by volunteers: 90%

"I get more out of this than our clients I think. It makes my week. I love coming in on Fridays and doing this,” said Janice Long, who has been a volunteer since 1992.

Seven year volunteer James Hart couldn’t imagine not helping either. "Oh, it’s been wonderful. I've had the same clients I've had, other than the ones who have passed away, and stuff like that. I mean, they are just another extension of my family I do favors for them all the time. I've mowed their yards."

It is not hard to imagine what would happen to many clients if Meals on Wheels and More didn’t exist.

• 50 percent live alone
• 75 percent live below 150-percent poverty line
• 67 percent over age 65
• 67 percent female

"In reality we want to keep people in their home, and seniors want to stay in their home,” said Dan Pruett, CEO and president of MOWAM. “If we can keep them in their home(s) it is so much less expensive than taxpayers having to take on the burden of paying for folks in a nursing home."

Daily meal delivery is just one service MOWAM provides.

For a complete listing of programs and volunteer opportunities, visit www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org