Community Updates

You Need Wheels to Deliver Meals

Meals on Wheels America is a household name —people know that the organization helps seniors access healthy meals without having to leave their homes. Ten million seniors nationwide struggle with hunger, so Meals on Wheels has a big (and important!) job to do. In fact, it’s the oldest and largest national organization supporting community-based programs dedicated to ending senior hunger.

Published 7 years ago | About a 2 minute read

For these reasons, Caesars Foundation has supported Meals on Wheels America since 2002, donating 60 meal delivery vehicles in 18 states – more than any other company. Meals on Wheels operates in virtually every community in America through a network of more than 5,000 independently-run local programs. In Memphis, not far from our Horseshoe Tunica and Tunica Roadhouse, Caesars Foundation just donated its 60th vehicle to the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA). This will help MIFA in its work to serve 12,876 meals each month to local seniors.

In the words of Sally Jones Heinz, President and CEO of MIFA, “The addition of the vehicle will allow us to consolidate deliveries and utilize volunteers in other areas to be able to expand our services and serve more individuals across all of our missions as efficiently as possible.” Providing a meal is a worthwhile contribution on its own, but it also appears to be a health tool. Research conducted by Brown University found that those receiving Meals on Wheels’ home-delivered meals had lower anxiety, isolation, hospitalizations and falls compared to a control group that did not receive meals. The ongoing visits from friendly meal delivery volunteers are a bright spot in seniors’ days – and provide a needed safety check. For many seniors, Meals on Wheels enables them to “age in place” in their own homes, rather than be hospitalized or relocate to a long-term care facility.

Caesars Foundation’s donation to MIFA through Meals on Wheels is part of our annual Senior Appreciation Quarter (May-July). Maybe you’ve read about how we work with Second Wind Dreams to “grant” seniors’ dreams or with Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to support healthy brains. It’s all part of Senior Appreciation Quarter and Caesars Foundation’s dedication to helping older individuals live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives. Learn more about Caesars Foundation’s efforts to support seniors, and much more, here.