Elm Court Center Meals

We want to thank so many who are helping support our Elm Court Center in downtown Portland, projected to deliver more than 160,000 meals by June 2023 to at least 750 seniors EACH DAY (including homeless adults and veterans, seniors with disabilities and those who are homebound)!

Thank you Elm Court staff and volunteers! Each are hard at work with key community partners dedicated to serving those in need of a meal. Our team exemplifies the spirit of giving and we appreciate their important contributions each day. Of the seniors we serve at the Elm Court Center, consider this:

• More than 34% self-identify as belonging to an ethnic or nondominant culture;
• Approximately 60% of those served are women, who represent a significant need in the senior community because women historically did not have the same earning potential as men and are more likely to end up in poverty;
• Many of the seniors who receive Meals on Wheels People deliveries are living below the poverty level and have no other access to healthy, fresh food. At Elm Court Center, and;
• 83% of home delivery clients reported an annual income under $20,000 

Thank you community partners!  During the pandemic all of our congregate dining centers closed to later reopen and meals are now predominantly delivered to our clients’ doors. However, because this center’s population struggles with homelessness more than any of our other locations, Elm Court Center uniquely provides a hot lunch on site Monday - Thursday to seniors who are unsheltered, and also distributes items received from the food bank and local farmers’ market each week.   Meals on Wheels People regularly partners with a variety of organizations to achieve success at our Elm Court Center. Some of our partners include Multnomah County, Neighborhood House, Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization, Central City Concern and Home Forward. Central City Concern has been on site to aid with homeless participants and those who exhibit mental health and addiction issues.  Our community partners add so much value!

Thank you, funders!  Dozens of businesses and civic organizations such as Moda Health, the Standard, Union Bank, Rotary Club of Portland and Bank of America help us fund or deliver meals. We are delighted to list our financial supporters on our annual report each year.  They are helping us meet our project objectives for FY23 (July 1^st, 2022 – June 30^th, 2023) including:

• Addressing the problem of malnutrition among marginalized, vulnerable and low-income older adults in the downtown area of Portland, Meals on Wheels People at Elm Court Center is projected to serve at least 160,000 nutritious meals to an average of 750 adults over the age of 60 per day.
• Addressing the challenge of social isolation, trained staff and volunteers touch base with each senior they deliver to, initiating friendly conversations and double-checking on the senior’s overall health and wellbeing. When needed, staff and volunteers connect participants to additional social supports and refer them to local services and resources for assistance.

Interested in assisting?  Consider volunteering or an “End of Year” donation.  Gifts insure direct meals for the highest-need seniors we serve and help us address the challenges described above. A gift of your time to volunteer is just as valuable.  All gifts are ensuring that the rising costs of the program won’t interfere with our ability to provide meals and check-ins, camaraderie and conversations to seniors in the Elm Court Center service area.

This Fall is one of Thankfulness!  We appreciate, recognize, and honor our stakeholders ongoing support! 

Links:

• Information on What We Do!
• How to Volunteer to Help!

As our cities and neighborhoods slowly reopen – and while keeping COVID-19 safety protocols such as masking and social distancing in place – Meals on Wheels People is meeting the evolving needs of the community members we serve, particularly in high-need neighborhoods such as Elm Court center. We are focusing on:

• High-quality, heart-healthy meals and supplemental nutrition for those who are homebound
• Social programs like Friendly Chats, Wellness Checks and Peer Connections to address isolation and lonelines
• Fresh, healthy and tasty meals for community gatherings and social connection
• Enhanced, more culturally-responsive and inclusive services for our diverse participants

Congregate dining locations have been gradually reopening since May 2. We are also pursuing partnerships to provide nutrition in new community spaces; we want to serve individuals where they are in order to address concerning barriers to good health. Between July 1^st, 2021 and June 30^th, 2022 we served 101,759 fresh and nutritious meals to hundreds of vulnerable, homebound or houseless seniors, in addition to providing nutrient-rich supplemental food (such as hard-boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, peanut butter and local vegetables) so older adults in the Elm Court service area would stay well-fed between meals. Here’s what recent participants had to say about our meal services:

• “These are very nice people who try their best to feed everybody and make everybody happy. I am grateful for their help at Elm Court.”
• “Meals on Wheels at Elm Court offer wonderful gourmet lunches and wonderfully caring staff and volunteers. Thank you for your efforts!”
• “I love the meals here – there’s good food and lots of it for those of us who otherwise wouldn’t get a good square meal every day! God bless!”

Volunteers are the heart and soul of the services provided at Meals on Wheels People. We are so grateful for the compassionate assistance provided by our 5,000+ volunteer corps, who help prepare and deliver meals, conduct Friendly Chats and Wellness Check calls to isolated and/or homebound seniors, and provide “handyman” services as part of our Safe Homes for Seniors program. Last fiscal year, volunteers dedicated 9,151 hours to supportive activities at Elm Court center. As one Elm Court volunteer noted, “Having the interaction with the clients who are always so appreciative, and with other volunteers who are so committed to the community is what I enjoy the most. Over the years there have been some great MOWP people I have met and now I would really miss not being part of the MOWP volunteer family at Elm Court.”