Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability
Keeping Independence on the Table
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Even the most independent among us, if fortunate to live long enough, may experience a decline in mobility or health that can strip away our independence and diminish the quality of our lives. Great advances in medicine have extended our average life expectancy to a record high of 78.7 years. Living longer means more years spent in the struggles that accompany old age. Add to that the increase in geographic mobility of our families and the result is millions of seniors left behind, hungry and alone. Then on top of this was the pandemic, of which the immediate increase in need of a 67% increase at the beginning of the crisis continues to reverberate and the need remains high. Covid-19 caused many seniors and people with disabilities to look for help. We used the opportunity to bring more awareness of our programs. The situation allowed many who may have already been in a state of great need, be aware of MoWC as a resource and these clients will stay past the pandemic.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Home Delivered Meals Programs for Senior & People w/ Disabilities
Meals on Wheels Chicago has 2 signature programs:
1. The Home Delivered Meals for senior program provides nutritious meals to older persons (60 years and older) who are frail and/or homebound because of illness or incapacitating disability or are otherwise isolated.
2. Designed to provide in-home meal service to clients with disabilities, Home Delivered Meals for Individuals with Disabilities (HDMID) is a program focused on alleviating hunger for individuals with disabilities under the age of 60. Meals on Wheels Chicago partners with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to identify clients who experience food insecurity due to their disability, and grant enrollment to qualifying individuals.
The clients served through the Holiday Meals Program represent a diverse community of seniors from 77 neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago. 66% of program recipients are female, 56% are African American (32% Caucasian, 8% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Unreported), 74% of homebound clients are age 60-84 (26% 85+), and 52% of meal recipients are below the poverty level.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of meals delivered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, People with disabilities
Related Program
Home Delivered Meals Programs for Senior & People w/ Disabilities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of emergency meals provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, People with disabilities
Related Program
Home Delivered Meals Programs for Senior & People w/ Disabilities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Meals on Wheels Chicago envisions a community in which all basic needs are met and barriers to achieving independence are eliminated. Our mission is to therefore ensure that both homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities benefit from programs that improve quality of life and maximize independence. We achieve this by raising both awareness and private funds to support meal delivery.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Meals on Wheels Chicago has programs benefiting seniors and people with disabilities within every neighborhood of Chicago. All of MOWC’s programs share the goal of independence and give clients the option to stay in their own homes while living their best lives possible.
The programs are:
Holiday Meals Program (HMP) - The Holiday Meals Delivery Program for Chicago’s Senior Citizens addresses unmet nutritional needs on six federal holidays, delivering meals to homebound seniors over the age of 60. In doing so, MOWC is providing clients with nutrition and a greater measure of independence to help stabilize their home environments.
Home Delivered Meals for Individuals with Disabilities (HDMID) - For individuals with disabilities from 18-59 years old, the Home Delivered Meals for Individuals with Disabilities program offers in-home weekday meal service for those challenged by the preparation of meals, in addition to the holiday meals.
As an outcome of the pandemic, Meals on Wheels Chicago also launched our new Fruit Bowl program which allows each client to receive a bag of fresh fruit. This helps add to their nutrition intake to be healthy & strong.
The volunteer Congregate Senior Meal Program (CSMP) is intended to branch out into a pantry at a senior center when the centers reopen, in order to encourage corporations with their employee engagement strategies and volunteerism, while helping even more vulnerable citizens who are food insecure.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Meals on Wheels Chicago’s partnership with the City of Chicago began in 1987, and on Thanksgiving 1988 we delivered our first holiday meal to 1,218 homebound seniors. Meals on Wheels Chicago’s partnership with the City of Chicago and Open Kitchens means that together we now provide 3.2 million meals to Chicago’s homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities each year.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Home Delivered Meal Programs is a partnership program with the City of Chicago and Open Kitchens. Meals on Wheels Chicago relies on the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services and Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities to expertly manage client intake and inquiries through their Information and Assistance Unit, where all requests for meal delivery are referred to case managers. These referrals are directed to caseworkers in the areas where the client resides and an in-home assessment is conducted to determine client eligibility, independent of income. Once eligibility is established, clients are enrolled in the city meal program and will begin receiving deliveries immediately. All clients enrolled in the full-time program are automatically included in the Meal Program.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability
Board of directorsas of 06/09/2021
Amy McCarty
Monahan Law Group
Larry Feller
Horwood Marcus & Berk
Anthony Fiore
Open Kitchens
Jim Vodges
Hub International
Jordan Dalton
Norfolk Medical Products, Inc.
Jennifer McConnell
AlixPartners
Aleta Williams
Loquacious Catering
Nikki Proutsos
Chicago Department of Family and Support Services
Elizabeth Bleakley
Bleakley Law
Veeral Sheth
University Retina
John Gnospelius
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank NA/Commercial Banking Finance
Suneet Lad
Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network,
Elizabeth Turnbaugh
Sazerac
Shannon Murphy
Bluedog Design
Cory Morris
Eat Purely
Ben Topp
Midwest Care Management
Bobby Daw
Budlaw Group
Jane Park
ComEd
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: