Elm Court Center Meals

Elm Court Center is located in downtown Portland and serves lonely, low-income seniors who often have no other source of fresh food. During the last two months, Portland has gone through four different snow storms. The city was virtually shut down for days at a time. In anticipation of the inclement weather, Meals on Wheels People provided chilled, take-home meals in advance of each of the storms. This allowed our clients, many of whom live in one-room apartments or hotel rooms with only a microwave available to them, to heat and eat a healthy meal when no one could get out. Without Meals on Wheels People, these vulnerable elders would have gone days without food when the city was paralyzed.

Between Nov. 1 and Feb. 10, Meals on Wheels People Elm Court Center served and delivered 25,428 meals to 750 older adults in the downtown metro area. During this time period we also delivered handmade holiday cards and placemats created by local school children and a festive holiday centerpiece donated by The Bloom Project and Teufel Holly Farms. Meals on Wheels People Elm Court Center is often the only "family" many of these seniors have and the holidays can be especially challenging for many. Meals on Wheels People provides food, fellowship and a safe place to gather for those who often have nowhere else to go.

We depend on community support for 60% of our annual operating budget and we are extrememly grateful to those who support us through GlobalGiving. Together we can change people's lives, one meal at a time.

Our Elm Court Center often serves as the "Living Room" for lonely and isolated seniors who live in downtown Portland. Many of these seniors live in studio apartments or in residential hotels without cooking facilities. They come to the Elm Court Center every weekday for a hot meal, as well as the opportunity to interact with others, have a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, work on a puzzle or watch TV.

Between July 1 and Nov. 15, 2016, we served and delivered 38,069 meals to more than 1,000 older adults in the downtown Portland area. For many we serve, the meal we provide them is their only food of the day. And, for some, we are their only source of fresh, whole fruit. We strive to provide seasonal fruits and vegetables and have a variety of diets available, including vegetarian. Meals on Wheels People has an active menu committee and we are in the process of developing and including a number of ethnic-specific menu items, including Lemon Grass Fish for our Vietnames clients, Chili Verde with Pork for our Hispanic clients, and Borscht with Dumplings for our Eastern European clients.

The cost of each meal is $7.39 and diners are asked to contribute what they can afford. The average donation is about 50 cents per meal, but no one in need is ever turned away. We depend on the community, including donors through Global Giving, to make up more than 60% of our annual budget. Thank you for supporting senior nutrition in our community.