WE NEVER TIRE OF FINDING BETTER WAYS
Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY sees itself as “Much more than a meal.” That's why the organization has an entire department devoted to finding new and innovative ways of improving the way seniors live and are served. The department is constantly working on new ways to address how we serve the community. We began working with corporate partners to provide fresh food such as salads, and create apps so seniors can order food rather than struggle getting groceries. We are even addressing larger health issues by utilizing food as medicine.
That's just a start. Here are some of the other recent innovations brought on by the organization:
Food Truck
Times change, and so do the wants and needs of our seniors. Today, instead of going to a large room for their congregate meals, seniors like to gather in different places and different spaces. Maybe it's a park or outside of a venue where there's music playing and people gathering. And who can blame them? No one likes going to the same restaurant all the time. We all want a change of scenery and environment.
We recognized this and found an innovative way to meet the people where they are. Our idea: a food truck.
It's a new variation of "meals on wheels," and one we really like. With the food truck we can go anywhere there are seniors, serve the meals hot and prepare them one at a time, which is healthier and easier for the seniors.
Bringing the Grocery Store to Seniors
Getting to the grocery store is a real difficulty for many seniors, particularly during the pandemic. We wanted to help, and so we partnered with Food Forest, an easy-to-use app allows seniors to purchase nutritious, locally sourced food. They can do this from the comfort and safety of their own homes and have the groceries delivered right to their door. Food Forrest also permits low-income seniors to use their EBT or SNAP benefits. Talk about convenience!
Pay it Forward with Pie
Every nonprofit organization leans on fundraisers as one means of generating the financial resources required to fulfill their mission. Always wanting to try new approaches, we decided to create something, well, fresh, a fundraiser that could engage the entire community and one that clearly spoke to our mission. Hence, Bust a Crust! was born. This tasty fundraiser allows people and companies to purchase holiday pies for Thanksgiving and all the proceeds help feed local seniors. Check it out the sweet details.
Using Technology to Be Sure All is OK
When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck and many seniors were basically stranded at home, we worried about the welfare of those seniors we weren’t already checking in on by virtue of our Meals on Wheels service. So we turned to a web-based platform, called Mobilize, that had traditionally been used for political communications. Our innovative use of an established technology allowed volunteers to make check-in calls from their homes to seniors throughout our service area. These calls helped uncover dozens of seniors who needed our services—or those of other organizations—and we set about to get them what they needed.
Friendship Ranch
Today’s senior housing options are mostly limited to two extremes: living in a single-family home or, on the other end of the spectrum, in a large retirement community. Both have their challenges, from safety to social isolation. That's why we partnered with housing developer Abode Advantage to pilot “Friendship Ranch,” a housing program in which eight seniors shared a large home.
Two cohorts of seniors, all over the age of 60, lived in the home for six weeks. The concept allowed older adults to build a true home together, with the benefits of built-in accessibility and the advantages that come with safety in numbers. Participants lived interdependently, drew on one another’s strengths and worked together to explore the challenges and opportunities that shared housing presented. In the spirit of creativity and flexibility, they determined the best way to approach daily living and its many elements, including meals, entertainment and housekeeping.
