The Beginning
The concept of Meals on Wheels originated in England during World War II. The first program in the United States was in Philadelphia in 1954. Today Meals on Wheels is in operation internationally and presently serves thousands of cities throughout the United States.
In Chemung County
The Meals on Wheels program in Chemung County began in
1970 with money from the Council of Churches of Chemung
County. All meal preparation was done at the First Presbyterian Church on West Clinton Street.
In October 1978, Congress passed legislation for a National Meals On Wheels program, and in 1980 funding became available to MOW programs. The program quickly grew. The dietary department of Arnot Ogden Hospital agreed to provide special diet items which allowed our group to concentrate on the majority of our clients who were on regular diets. With the guidance of the nutritionist at the County Office for the Aging, we currently have four modified diets.
Our Facility
In 1998, we purchased our own building at 150 Fox
Street in Elmira. That facility has sufficient space to
accommodate growth in our program over the next several
years. We have a fully functioning commercial
kitchen, large coolers and freezers, storage space and
Our Clients
Our program has grown from feeding 5 clients in 1970 to feeding over 2,000 in 2007. During 2007, we served a total of 86,000 meals. Our average client is 83 years old, 2/3 of our clients are women and 54% have incomes below the poverty level. As our population continues to live longer, we anticipate that the need for our services will continue to grow over the next several years.
