Moms for Meals
Enhaning quality of life by providing nutritious meals, personal contact and related services.
July 29, 2008
By Tyisha Manigo
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CHARITY’S MISSION
Moms for Meals is a summer program of Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland (MOWCM), designed to encourage mothers and children to participate in volunteer activities. Moms for Meals participants continue the Meals on Wheels tradition of delivering healthy meals to homebound residents. “We wanted to be able to say, ‘Moms, grandmoms, aunts — come with your kids during the summer and volunteer,’” says Toni Gianforti, MOWCM’s manager of marketing and communication.
BACKGROUND
Moms for Meals was launched in the spring of 2007. May 1 was chosen as the program’s kick-off date in recognition of Mother’s Day and Older Americans Month. MOWCM was founded in 1960 and is the largest continuously operating Meals on Wheels program in the country. Service areas include Baltimore City and Baltimore County, along with Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties and parts of Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
WHAT DOES MOMS FOR MEALS DO?
Moms for Meals volunteers participate in a number of Meals on Wheels activities and related services. The basic program involves delivering two meals (a hot and cold dinner for the afternoons and evenings) to Meals on Wheels clients. Moms for Meals volunteers also can do grocery shopping for clients or call clients to check on them and provide companionship via conversation.
The programs seek to enhance the quality of life for Meals on Wheels clients, Gianforti says. “We like to say that we are more than a meal because we help our clients maintain independence and provide peace of mind,” she says.
Gianforti emphasizes that Meals on Wheels is not just for the poor and elderly. One of the goals of the Moms for Meals program is to change that perception.
Charity officials say Moms for Meals allows the whole family to volunteer and bond with others. It also gives school-aged children an opportunity to earn service hours during the summer. “It’s a learning experience for both parent and child together,” Gianforti says. “It instills values in your children. You teach by doing.”
Sandy Macon began volunteering with Meals on Wheels a few years ago. Now she volunteers for Moms for Meals with her teenage son and daughter. “I would say, ‘Come with me one time and do this and see how good you feel after,’” Macon says. “They always ended up saying, ‘This really feels great.’”
RECENT MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS/GRANTS/AWARDS
In February 2007, Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland was named a recipient of a grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation’s Maryland Small Grants Program. The two-year grant, which provides $50,000 for each year, is awarded to nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving poor and vulnerable communities.
FUND-RAISING EFFORTS
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland’s fund-raising goal for the 2008 fiscal year is $1.17 million.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS
Gregory A. Cross; Nancy P. deLaski; James Gabriel (secretary); A. Thomas Grazio (executive director); Lois Gross; Lauren Alter Holub; Karen A. Jacobs (2nd vice president); Edwin Jules (assistant treasurer); Liselotte H. Karaolis (1st vice president); Alexander C. Klaff; Anthony P. Langello; W. Damian Lewis; Gregory C. Martin; Catherine Max; Kevin C. McCormick (president); Aaron Parker; Barbara Pettit; Richard J. Ruggieri (treasurer); William T. Skinner Jr.; Rita St.Clair (assistant secretary); Devereaux E. Sterrette; Elizabeth A. Toland; Stephanie M. Tyrrell; Jonathan Wachs; Kathryn Wachter; Martin L. Wake (immediate past president); Linda Weinberg; Ann Winter West; Ben Zager.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
For more information, please call 410-558-0827 or visit www.mealsonwheelsmd.org.
