Meals on Wheels Chicago: Partnership Structure

Table of Contents 1.Partnership Explanation 2.Organization Mission 3.About Meals on Wheels Chicago 4.MOWC: Our Role in the Home Delivered Meals & the Home Modification Programs 5.Our Partners: Chicago Department of Family and Support Services & the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities 6.Open Kitchens: Preparing and Delivering Meals

Program Partners & How We Work Together Meals on Wheels Chicago is a registered 501 (c)(3) tax exempt organization that was established in The organization was established to raise private funds- through events, grants/foundations, and individual giving- to help financially support two existing city programs: Home Delivered Meals and Home Modification. The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services- Senior Services Area Agency on Aging oversees the Home Delivered Meals program. The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities oversees Home Modification. Meals on Wheels Chicago is strictly a fundraising office. We do not provide services, but rather, rely on our city partners to run program operations and case management of all clients enrolled in the program. A third partner- Open Kitchens- is responsible for meal preparation and delivery.

Mission To ensure homebound senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in Chicago maintain dignified and independent lifestyles by providing them with warm nutritious meals and related services.

About Meals on Wheels Chicago Meals on Wheels was founded in 1987 as a joint public private partnership to privately raise supplemental funds to support our city partners. The agencies we support through financial grants are the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services and the Mayors Office for People with Disabilities. Funding goes specifically to two programs: – Home Delivered Meals to home-bound senior citizens in Chicago – Home Mod which provides home modifications to individuals with disabilities age 59 and younger In 2009, Meals on Wheels Chicago granted over half million dollars in support of the Home Mod and Home Delivered Meals programs. (Continued)

Meals on Wheels Chicago (cont.) Meals on Wheels Chicago receives no government funding. Over 4 million meals were delivered in 2010 to home bound seniors citizens through the Chicago Department of Senior Services and the Meals on Wheels program. The Home Mod program just completed their 600 th home renovation in early 2011.

Meals on Wheels Chicago’s Role in the Home Delivered Meal Program Meals on Wheels Chicago provides funding for the following programs: – 6 holidays: New Years, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. – Weekend and short-term emergency meals. In 2010 Meals on Wheels Chicago provided: – 42,000 meals over 6 holidays to Chicago’s home-bound seniors. – 27,000 meals weekend and emergency meals to Chicago’s home- bound seniors. (Continued)

We are the only adjunct program in the city providing services on the weekends to seniors. By partnering with an existing program, we are helping to capacity build verses duplicating efforts. Meals on Wheels Chicago is a vital component in funding the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services as they continue to lose federal, state and city funding. MOWC’s Role (cont.)

Meals on Wheels Chicago’s Role in the Home Modification Program Meals on Wheels Chicago provides funding for the Home Modification program, which enables individuals with disabilities to achieve a higher level of independence in their homes. Modification projects cost $10,000 per and include the installation of grab bars, ramps, lifts, and kitchen/bathroom modifications. In 2010, Meals on Wheels Chicago funded three complete modifications ($30,000) and anticipate eleven in 2011.

The Senior Services Area Agency on Aging manages and oversees all intake and case management for the home delivered meal program. Funding is received via three sources: – Federal & State Funding: 8 million in 2010 – City Funding: 2 million in 2010 – Private Funding via Meals on Wheels Chicago Each year, over 11,000 unduplicated clients receive home delivered meals. Meal deliveries are provided free of charge to individuals 60 years of age or older living inside of the City of Chicago. All meals are prepared and delivered through a contracted food facility, Open Kitchens which ensures consistent service. The City estimates that the home delivered meal program is the single most cost effective preventative social service in the city. Chicago Department of Family & Support Services, Senior Services Area Agency on Aging

Chicago’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities MOPD promotes total access, full participation, and equal opportunity for people with disabilities of all ages, in all aspects of life. In 2010, MOPD completed 76 home modifications, each job averaging $10,000 a piece. Since 1999, 600 modifications have been completed. HomeMod projects allow for a higher level of independence by providing safe and suitable living environments. These projects allow people with disabilities to fully participate in employment, recreation, and education, while also improve the housing stock in the city of Chicago.

Open Kitchens, a Chicago based food production facility, is the primary distributor of our home delivered meals. They produce a cost-efficient, three-tiered food plan of hot, chilled and frozen meals. Open Kitchens drivers provide two meals per day, which meet two-thirds of the recommended daily allowance of nutrients, five days a week, to over 11,000 homebound seniors and serve over 3.7 million meals a year. Open Kitchens operates a fleet of 22 specially outfitted delivery trucks that run service routes daily. Drivers provide consistent delivery, free from service disruption, as well as one of the city’s most cost effective preventative social services. The driver is the first to notice and report any change in a client’s physical or mental status. Open Kitchens: Executing the Prep & Delivery