Meals on Wheels of Chemung County, Inc.
IMPORTANT LINKS
"Prepared in Love...Delivered in Love"
IMPORTANT LINKS
To be a Nationally Certified volunteer based organization serving all areas of Chemung County.
We provide nutritious and appealing meals, including special diets, through regular personal contact for those in need to enable healthy independence.
Our Beliefs and Values

Clients--Meals on Wheels exists to serve nutritious meals and provide a daily contact to our clients.
Expectations--We will provide Quality Service by compassionately serving clients who have limited resources, trying to exceed the expectations of our clients whenever possible.
Staff & Volunteers--These are the backbone of our organization and we will strive to develop them and recognize their outstanding work.
Professional Standards--Everyone is responsible for strengthening the organization, and openness, clear communication, honesty, flexibility, cooperation and accountability are the standards by which we carry out our mission.

More Than Just a Meal
Meals on Wheels is more than just a food service.  We are a friendly face.  Our volunteers take a special interest in our participants' well being and we even remember birthdays with a cake, card and a gift.

Volunteers deliver a hot meal or a hot lunch/cold supper between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. five days each week.  Participants who need guidance receive counseling and nutrition education.  Special diets and weekend meal packages are available for those who require them.

Referrals
Anyone may request our service: the person in need, relatives, friends, social service agencies, nurses, physicians or hospital personnel.

Cost of the Meals
Each participant is asked to pay $4.50 for one meal or $6.50 for two meals per day.  However, The Office of the Aging may be able to help those over age of 60 with payment.  There is a sliding fee based on income available, and food stamps are accepted.  However, no one will be refused service due to their inability to pay.

Meal Preparation
Meals are prepared fresh daily in our own commercial kitchen
by trained cooks.  Meals are planned to provide 1/3 of the
Recommended Dietary Allowance per meal for persons aged 60
and over.

Delivery of Meals
Meals are delivered by a network of volunteers on Monday through Friday, except holidays.  Meals cannot be left if the recipient is not home or if adequate refrigeration is not available.
Who Makes Our Operation A Success?
Our Staff
Darlene Ike is the Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of Chemung County, Inc.  Under her supervision, we employ 3 full-time and 9 part-time people.  Our experienced staff handles all of the tasks on a daily basis from coordinating volunteers, ordering food, cooking, cleanup and maintaining the building.  We feature a different staff member in our newsletters so you can learn more about them and what they do.

Our Volunteers
Volunteers deliver a hot meal or a hot lunch/cold supper between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. five days each week.  Our daily operation requires 34 volunteers each day to deliver the meals, and we currently have over 200 active volunteers, During 2007, MOW volunteers logged over 17,000 hours to serve those in need.  Those hours translate into a value of over $308,000 annually, using the non agricultural wage plus fringe benefits.  Additionally, our routes require that our volunteers drive over 1,240 miles each week to deliver meals to our clients.

Funding
With a budget of over $300,000 annually, funding is an important component of our success.  Our funding is broken down as follows:
32%        State Government (for low income families only)
4% Federal Government
1%  County Government (for low income families only)
35%Private Client Payments
7%  United Way
21%Donations from Community

Special Diets
We offer several diet options to ensure our clients receive healthy meals that fit their various needs.
Regular
Low fat/Low cholesterol
Diabetic
Vegetarian
Renal
Soft, No roughage
Bland

Summary
With an experienced staff and dedicated volunteers we serve over 250 clients each day.  The nutritious food, and personal contact from our volunteers is an important factor in many of our clients being able to remain in their own home.  Please join us and support us in this important mission.  Thank you.