{"id":207666,"date":"2026-03-27T00:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T00:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/207666\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T00:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T00:16:09","slug":"community-leaders-get-up-close-look-at-impact-need-for-meals-on-wheels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/207666\/","title":{"rendered":"Community leaders get up close look at impact, need for Meals on Wheels"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Meals on Wheels is a lifeline for hundreds of Tallahassee seniors, providing a meal and a friendly face to help them stay in their homes longer.<\/p>\n

Elder Care Services hosted its annual \u201cBig Wheels Deliver Meals\u201d Thursday. It\u2019s an invitation each year for leaders to ride along and see the impact of the deliveries for themselves.<\/p>\n

Deborah Hunter is one of nearly 300 seniors who get a knock on the door each day and receive both a hot meal and a cold meal for her and her husband. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe meals are good, the service is good,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cI can count on them for anything, it\u2019s not just for Meals on Wheels, it\u2019s for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s especially handy now as she recovers from surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s more than a meal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is. It\u2019s like a family thing,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n

Meals on Wheels volunteers got lots of extra help Thursday. Community leaders were invited to join them on their regular routes to learn more about Meals on Wheels and get an up close look at the challenges many of those seniors face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited about helping somebody, making somebody\u2019s day, bringing a smile to their face,\u201d Capital Health Plan\u2019s Mozart Procena said as he loaded coolers into the car. <\/p>\n

It was Procena\u2019s first time delivering Meals on Wheels. It was Rima Nathan\u2019s first time too. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to just connect with people in our community and make sure that they have a friend today to talk to,\u201d said Rima Nathan with the FSU Law School\u2019s Elder Law Clinic.<\/p>\n

Tom Kirwin has been knocking on doors and showing up for seniors with food and friendship in hand for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess everybody has a desire to help and this is the way that I can help,\u201d Kirwin said. \u201cIt\u2019s different for different seniors. For some I have the feeling that if you weren\u2019t there and weren\u2019t delivering the food, there would be no food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both WCTV\u2019s Julie Montanaro and Ava Van Valen joined Meals on Wheels volunteers on their routes Thursday. <\/p>\n

\"WCTV'sWCTV’s Julie Montanaro with volunteer Tom Kirwin and senior Ms. Hunter(WCTV \/ Julie Montanaro)<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to meet all the clients, all the wonderful people, and see what they do every day,\u201d Van Valen said. \u201cThey do a lot for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now, Elder Care Services delivers meals to the homes of 280 seniors in Leon County and provides food to another 216 seniors at its congregate meal sites. <\/p>\n

There are nearly 500 people still on a waiting list to receive Meals on Wheels, Elder Care\u2019s Nicole Ballas said. <\/p>\n

\u201cRight now in Leon County we have 496 older adults that are waiting for someone to come to their door,\u201d Ballas said. \u201cThey need the nutrition and somebody to open it with a big smile and say \u2018How are you today?\u2019<\/p>\n

Ballas said they have seen the number of seniors on the wait list rise dramatically over the past three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty shocking to see the rise and the need keeps going up and the number of seniors in Leon County keeps rising and so we\u2019ve got to keep going and meet that need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Elder Care Services is finalizing contracts to start construction on a new bigger, better kitchen right now. It will help them to put a dent in the waiting list. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hoping to break ground on the expansion at the end of the summer.<\/p>\n

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