What started as a small soup kitchen in 1965 has grown into an organization on which Atlanta relies. Today, Meals on Wheels Atlanta serves over 500,000 meals annually to seniors, offers home repair services and provides an emergency food pantry. “We don’t necessarily talk about the virus,” says Meals on Wheels Atlanta’s Hillary Baker of the staff’s two to three Zoom meetings per day. “We mostly talk about the increasing number of seniors who need our assistance and how we can get to them. We are focused on the now; our phones are ringing off the hook. By now, I mean ‘No One Waits’—the elderly can’t wait for food.” The nonprofit chose to front-load two weeks worth of fresh and frozen meals and a 30-day supply of shelf-stable foods like soup, pasta and tuna for Atlanta’s most vulnerable population. “Our goal is to ensure that this fragile group has uninterrupted meal deliveries,” Baker says. “We’re delivering less often but delivering more food—it’s safest for seniors and our volunteers.” Only $9 a day helps feed a senior two healthy and nutritious meals, including pet food for any animals. “Since the crisis started,” she continues, “we’ve delivered over 60,000 meals. Even with those unbelievable numbers, we still have over 500 seniors on our ‘can’t wait’ list, which is heartbreaking.”
A spotlight from our “Heroes of Hope” feature in The Hope Issue
Photography by: Courtesy of Meals On Wheels Atlanta
