Meals on Wheels ‘not going to leave anybody hungry’ during snowy weather

GRANDVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — Food deliveries to thousands of homebound seniors are being delayed in West Michigan amid treacherous road conditions.

Meals on Wheels Western Michigan, a nonprofit based in Grandville, brings meals to nearly 3,000 people a year in Kent and Allegan counties. The organization serves 6,000 seniors overall through its senior pantry and community dining sites, both of which organizers intend to keep open this week.

The meals are assembled from scratch at the nonprofit’s Grandville kitchen, packaged and frozen. Drivers, most of whom are volunteers, hit at least 1,500 homes in a day through dozens of different routes. Frozen and cold meals are typically delivered Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Lisa Wideman, the nonprofit’s president, said they do not plan to close this week. The last time the nonprofit temporarily closed operations was during the 2019 polar vortex, she said.

“It was so dangerous even for our drivers to be exposed to that air,” Wideman said.

Deliveries are only being delayed this week from a half-hour to a couple of hours, Wideman said.

There have been some seniors who drivers haven’t been able to reach because of the poor conditions. When that happens, Wideman said organizers call them and ask if they have enough food for the time being.

“Sometimes, people are just fine for a day or two,” Wideman said.

Overnight shelters stretched to limit in freezing temps

If seniors don’t have food in the house, Wideman said the nonprofit will make sure they get a meal.

“We have a couple of all-wheel drive vehicles. We have a couple of (volunteers with all-wheel drive vehicles). We’re going to find a way to get that food to them,” Wideman said.

“We’re not going to leave anybody hungry,” she continued. “We’re going to find a way.”

Before the snowstorm began to hit Kent County last Friday, Meals on Wheels condensed certain routes to allow drivers to finish earlier in the day. Knowing ahead of time that they may not be able to reach some seniors this week, drivers also delivered shelf-stable boxes of food to households before the storm.

“It’s a rare situation, but it happens,” Wideman said.

When drivers bring the meals, they also make sure seniors have heat during the extreme cold.

“If they don’t, we will find them resources to get that heat back on or get them to a place where they could (stay),” she said.

List: Warming centers in West Michigan

The deliveries can be incredibly meaningful for seniors, Wideman said.

“That human connection is so important to families as well,” she said. “Families a lot of times are not local, and just having somebody checking on their parents can be lifesaving.”

The organization relies on volunteers and can especially use more of them during these conditions, Wideman said. Anyone interested in delivering or preparing meals can volunteer through the nonprofit’s website.

Wideman also asked the community to consider donating to help them achieve their mission. She said rising food and labor costs are outpacing their fundraising.

“If the community can help us out in any way, it’ll help us make sure no seniors hungry are forgotten,” Wideman said.

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