AC Meals on Wheels fills a growing need

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by Mandy Moran Froemming
Union editor

For residents throughout Anoka County and the city of Champlin, Meals on Wheels daily delivery has meant maintaining the independence of living on their own.

Anoka-Champlin Meals on Wheels offers services to residents in 17 area cities and delivered more than 28,000 meals last year.

There have been recently been some changes. AC Meals on Wheels has hired on Steve Griffiths as the interim executive director for the organization.

Griffiths said he is excited about making connections in the communities served by AC Meals on Wheels.

“Meals on Wheels meets my passion for providing people with the basics so they can become who they are meant to be,” said Griffiths. “I hope I can be a good community partner.”

He has many years of experience in development Twin Cities area non-profits.

“Steve’s career has included time served at Lutheran Social Service and The Link,” said Nicole DeYoung, current president of the AC Meals on Wheels Board of Directors. “Steve is also past board president of our chapter of Meals on Wheels. Steve and his family are members of Elim Baptist Church in Anoka. During his time at Meals on Wheels he will be working on reviewing the organization structure, financial status, fund-raising and board development.”

AC Meals on Wheels is in the process of expanding its board of directors to bring in a wealth of professional experiences and community connections to move the organization forward. The non-profit has been delivering meals in Champlin and Anoka since 1973.

Serving those in need

The hot meals are prepared daily at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and then distributed to volunteer drivers who head out on their routes, five days a week over the lunch hour.

While the majority of the Meals on Wheels clients are between the ages of 60 and 89, being a senior citizen is not a requirement. Nutritional risk is the main criteria.

“You either need to be on medical subsidy or you have to have a need,” said Griffiths.

This could be the inability to cook, mobility issues or a specially prescribed diet.

The youngest client being served by AC Meals on Wheels is 25, while the oldest is 104.

Griffiths said the kitchen is able to cater to a variety of dietary needs when preparing the meals, taking into consideration low sodium requirements, diabetes or even taste preferences.

“If you call and tell us you don’t like zucchini, we’ll make sure you get the alternate vegetable that day,” he said.

AC Meals on Wheels’ mandate is to make sure those in need are getting something to eat, along with a wellness check-in.

“The reality is it is difficult for us with such a large area to serve, to do it cost effectively,” said Griffiths.

The organization currently charges $5 per meal for private pay clients, but this does not reflect the actual cost, which is subsidized by charitable donations. Some clients are also covered through medical subsidies.

“We’re looking at a shortfall of $2.50 to $3.50 for every meal we serve,” said Griffiths. “A donation of just $25, that would provide a meal for one person, for two weeks.”

Concerns on the horizon include rising gas prices, which will affect the volunteers, along with inflation on food costs.

Since expanding its territory 2009 to serve the northern reaches of Anoka County, AC Meals on Wheels went from providing a hot meal to residents in Anoka and Champlin to 17 cities including: Andover, Anoka, Champlin, Bethel, Cedar, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey and St. Francis.

The service area now covers more than 300 square miles.

In the past year, 279 clients have received a hot noon meal and a wellness check in from AC Meals on Wheels.

Those meals are delivered by a pool of 400 volunteer drivers, which are largely coordinated through area churches.

According to Griffiths, last year those drivers logged more than 69,000 miles on their meal delivery routes.

For more information on how to donate or volunteer your time with AC Meals, you can visit www.acmealsonwheels.org, e-mail info@acmealsonwheels.org or call 763-236-8718. You can also follow the organization on Facebook.

Mandy Moran Froemming is at editor.anokaunion@ecm-inc.com