Greater LA Jolla Meals-On-Wheels Inc

The daily (Monday to Friday) home-delivered meal service consists of two meals daily including:
• One hot meal (lunch: an entrée, starch, fresh vegetable, whole wheat bread/roll and dessert)
• One cold meal (dinner: a sandwich, salad, dessert and fresh fruit)
• Carton of 1% or 2% milk, bottle of 100% juice or bottled water
All meals are low-sodium and diabetic-friendly.

Meal deliveries take place between 11am and 1pm.and are planned and prepared by the dietitian and staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. A nominal fee of $7.50 is charged for the two daily meals; this fee can be waived in hardship circumstances (for about 20-25% of meal clients due to their inability to pay). The amount charged for each meal does not pay for the agency’s cost of the meal.

Meals are picked up by scores of volunteers outside the organization’s office at Scripps Memorial Hospital and then drop-off the meals along numerous delivery routes in La Jolla and University City.
Frequently, the volunteer may be the only person the senior sees all day, providing human contact, conversation and a safety net, particularly for those seniors living alone. La Jolla Meals On Wheels (LJMOW) relieves the burden of shopping and meal preparation for its seniors who are homebound, disabled or otherwise mobility-challenged members of the community.

LJMOW serves low-income to low-moderate-income seniors with its home-delivered meal program, some of whom have had a recent surgery or hospitalization, others who are not able to leave their home to shop for groceries and others who cannot cook their own meals for medical reasons. Services are offered to residents who live within zip codes 92037 (La Jolla) and 92122 (University City neighborhood of San Diego). The agency services both genders and most ethnicities. Over 90% of clients are over 60 years of age.

From the agency’s inception, a professional dietitian was consulted to ensure that meals provided are nutritious, balanced and appropriate to meet clients’ dietary needs. With this dietitian’s guidance, a meal plan is periodically evaluated to adjust for changing client needs. The home-delivered meal program’s goal is to provide clients with nutrition necessary so they show visible improvement in body weight and general health status, and have the appropriate foods with which to take their medications.

To date, LJMOW has served more than 1,800 clients, providing more than 700,000 fresh, nutritious meals.