Helping Seniors

Meals on Wheels Chicago embraces our city’s senior community and is committed to ensuring those who choose to age in-place do so with dignity and the resources necessary to maintain an excellent quality of life. To accomplish this, MOWC partners with The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services to ensure older Chicagoans benefit from a variety of programs designed to address the diverse needs and interests of all those who live here.

The Meals on Wheels program serves homebound seniors age 60 or older offering a range of options including vegetarian, pureed, and kosher meals. If you are interested in learning more about the program or getting enrolled, please contact Information and Assessment directly at 312-744-4016.

Helping Individuals with Disabilities

Chicago is home to over 600,000 individuals with disabilities. Meals on Wheels Chicago embraces the unique challenges that many experience in their own homes and are committed to supporting efforts to improve accessibility and independence. MOWC partners with the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), whose mission is to promote total access, full participation, and equal opportunity through advocacy and direct services.

This program serves individuals age 18 – 60 offering a range of options including vegetarian, pureed, and kosher meals. If you are interested in learning more about these programs or getting enrolled, please contact our partners a the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) at: 312-744-6673.

Programs We Fund

Holiday Meals Program: The Holiday Meals Delivery Program for Chicago’s Senior Citizens addresses unmet nutritional needs on six federal holidays, delivering meals to homebound seniors over the age of 60. In doing so, MOWC provides clients with nutrition and a greater measure of independence to help stabilize their home environments. This year, MOWC will fund the delivery of over 122,000 meals on the six federal holidays to over 10,000 clients. 

Home Delivered Meals for Individuals with Disabilities: For individuals with disabilities under the age of 60, the HDMID program offers in-home weekday meal service for those challenged by the preparation of meals in addition to meals delivered on the six federal holidays.

Emergency Meals: When budget allows, Meals on Wheels Chicago provides funding for emergency, shelf-stable meals. These are delivered to all of our clients to serve as back-up meals if regular delivery service is interrupted by extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances. In 2019 MOWC provided 5 days of shelf-stable meals to approximately 6,200 clients – a total of 62,000 meals. We were able to fund this program using a generous bequest made by Dr. M Cherif Bassiouni. This year, we are relying on the generosity of our supporters to help fund this program. 

Congregate Senior Meal Program: This program supplements the City of Chicago’s congregate lunches at the six main senior centers and the smaller satellite locations, where approximately 30,000 seniors are fed each year. For many seniors, this lunch may be their only meal of the day and their only social interaction. The goals of the Congregate Senior Meal Program are to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities to corporations and other organizations as well as serving lunch and providing a social activity for seniors (such as Bingo). Corporations also provide funding for an additional take-home meal for later that evening. Unfortunately this program is currently suspended due to COVID-19. This program will resume as soon as senior centers are able to reopen safely.