JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As grocery and fuel prices rise, a University of North Florida program is helping Jacksonville seniors put healthy meals on the table for free.
Meals on Wings, created in 2019 through UNF’s College of Health, has recently reached a major milestone, providing and delivering 250,000 free meals in Duval County.
The program serves 300 seniors identified through community centers, with student volunteers delivering meals three times a week.
For Catherine King, getting groceries can take a lot of effort.
She walks to the bus stop and takes public transportation to the grocery store. Without a car, she can usually buy only what she can carry.
“I wouldn’t be able to buy a lot. I could only buy for, like, a couple of days,” King said.
Meals on Wings delivers food to King and other seniors at the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center on Kings Road.
“It’s a supplement,” explained Marie Heath, the center’s director. “They get to save the money they normally would have to spend on food, and it’s right there for them to pop into the microwave.”
During a recent delivery, Meals on Wings’ Advisory Chef, Meghan Niemczyk, and a student volunteer delivered 120 meals for 30 seniors.
UNF students package the meals using food donated by local hospitals.
“Often hospitals will offer on their menu chicken and rice today or meatloaf and mashed potatoes. If more people ordered meatloaf and mashed potatoes, they have more chicken and rice so they save it for us,” explained Niemczyk.
Instead of discarding the extra meals, the hospitals donate the food to Meals on Wings.
Volunteers pick it up and divide it into meals at UNF’s Meals on Wings kitchen.
Mildred Flagg said the meals have helped her make healthier choices.
“I love the vegetables they have—the broccoli, the string beans, and the chicken,” she said.
She loves that the meals also support the health goals she discusses with others at the center, including managing blood pressure and A1C levels.
Cooking classes led by Niemczyk have also encouraged King to try new foods and cooking methods.
“I used to not like quinoa, so I like it now,” King said. “I used to not like asparagus, so I like it now…and I also learned that I don’t need to have salt in my food.”
Niemczyk hopes to build on the program’s work at the Schell-Sweet Community Center by creating a community kitchen at UNF where people can take cooking classes and learn how to eat healthier.
Monetary donations are the best way to support Meals on Wings. To learn more or contribute, visit UNF.edu and search Meals on Wings or click here.
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