Changing Lives, One Meal at a Time

Meals on Wheels People enriches the lives of seniors and nutritionally at-risk populations, assisting them in maintaining independence by providing nutritious food, human connection, and social support.

Since March 2020, food production at Meals on Wheels People has increased more than 60%. The increase in need has come from the large number of aging Baby Boomers in the community, people of color who often lack access to healthy fresh food, families with children whose budgets are overstretched, and older women who are financially compromised due to historically gender-biased earning potential.

Food insecurity and hunger creates barriers for children and adults to thrive physically, intellectually, and emotionally, which can prohibit active engagement in school, the workplace, and the community. As a longtime funder of Meals on Wheels People, the Olseth Family Foundation is determined to assist financially struggling families to make ends meet, eliminating a choice between paying rent and feeding their household. The Meals 4 Kids program does just that, by providing home delivery of culturally-appropriate, nutritious dinners, fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy for the entire family. Specifically, the Olseth Family Foundation’s funding will provide a devoted space for Meals 4 Kids with more refrigerator and freezer space, a designated packing and staging area for meal preparation using ServSafe® standards, and a designated volunteer pick-up area with systematized shelving. These measures will result in an increase in delivery capacity of approximately 30% for Portland and Gresham county residents most in need.

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