u/Meals-On-Wheels-West

First, MAJOR SHOUT OUT to the reddit community who came through when we posted our story running in The Argonaut last week about the current state of the state with our home-delivered meal program waitlist. Linking to that post HERE if you want to see the thread.

Since this is important news, more outlets are picking up the story, including our local Santa Monica Daily Press. Today's cover story can be read HERE.

A few quick facts about the current client base at Meals On Wheels West:

• The median age is 78 years old
• Nearly 8 in 10 live with a disability, most often mobility problems or chronic pain
• At least 83% of clients state they cannot safely cook for themselves
• More than one in five are veterans or the spouses of veterans
• Nearly one in four have experienced homelessness

On the waitlist are possible clients with those same data points, waiting for an opportunity to receive fully subsidized meals delivered to their homes.

For the first time in our organization's history (more than 50 years), we had to put a waitlist in place last winter for clients who can not pay for their meals. Economic pressures have compounded to the point where we on track to see 100 neighbors on our waitlist with no solve in the immediate future.

How did we get here...? Here's a few factors that come into play.

• The increase in aging adults (known as the "gray wave" or "silver tsunami") will have our population sitting with more people older than 65 years old than children (under 18 years) by 2030. Infrastructurally, most sectors and communities are not equipped to manage this shift in our population.
• Meals on Wheels programs are all independently run as their own nonprofit organizations, meaning we are all working hard to secure our own funding for our own programs. Only a select few receive government or health insurance support/coverage (despite "food as medicine" being a cornerstone of healthcare nowadays). Just in LA County, there are more than 20 Meals on Wheels programs all working hard to secure funding for their programs.
• In this country, food insecurity has quadrupled for seniors over the last 25 years.
• More than 60% of Meals on Wheels programs in California have a waitlist (double the national average)

We will continue to share these insights with the community, as neighbors helping neighbors is our path forward. Read more about the waitlist and challenges in the cover story in this week's The Argonaut HERE.

We deliver meals to homebound seniors across Santa Monica, and every so often we want to introduce you to one of our neighbors - because hidden hunger and isolation are easy to miss unless you're looking for it. This is Scott's story, the first of many we hope to feature.

Scott has lived in Santa Monica for more than 45 years. He's survived two cancers, two heart attacks, and a bone marrow transplant that left his vision and muscles so severely affected to the point where a walk to the grocery store isn't something he can do anymore. Nearly four years ago, after being evicted, he spent 90 days without a home.

Today, Scott lives in senior housing here in Santa Monica, with a caretaker and his 6-year-old pup, Ms. Spooky, keeping him company. He says Meals on Wheels West has been part of what helped him find stable ground again.

"Behind closed doors, people don't see us," Scott told us. "Meals on Wheels is a tremendous help, and I thank god for all of them."

We're planning to spotlight a different neighbor like Scott regularly, because we think it's easy to drive through our communities and not think about who's behind those closed doors. If you've got an elderly neighbor you haven't checked on in a while - maybe this could be the nudge to do so. Neighbors helping neighbors is what we are all about.

Have you noticed isolation among seniors in your own building or block? What's helped? If you know a homebound senior nearby, even a knock on the door and a 'how are you doing' can go a long way!

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Free for the whole family! Meals on Wheels West is excited to participate - come by our booth to learn more about our programs and ways to get involved in helping hundreds of homebound neighbors.

More details on what expect, from the City of SM site:

Free parking will be available in the Civic Parking Structure. Guests can enjoy an evening of family-friendly activities, including:
• Police vehicle displays
• Interactive games and activities for children
• Meet-and-greets with officers and professional staff
• Community resource booths
• Food, entertainment, and giveaways
• Crime prevention and emergency preparedness information
• Opportunities to explore specialized police equipment and programs

UPDATE: thanks y’all for willing to help Babygirl. All 10 cases have been purchased and should be here by the weekend so we can get her fed 🙌

If you donated, Amazon does a great job getting us items but a not so great job telling us who to thank. We would LOVE to properly thank you and send a tax receipt. If you donated, drop us a screenshot of the order via email at development @mealsonwheelswest.org so we can send you the tax receipt 💕💕

A long time client based here in Santa Monica reached out asking for help - and because so many of you stepped up to help Jeepers a few months back - we wanted to share his story to see if any Reddit fam can pitch in.

Our client’s heart is broken because one of his companion cats (Delilah) passed at the young age of four years old. Delilah’s sister, Babygirl (in this photo) is 18 yrs old, and finds herself depressed from the loss and not eating. Our client has tried everything, and found she is eating a very specific flavor of Fancy Feast. He’s running out of the few cans he has, and is eager to keep Babygirl on the mend.

A case is currently less than $11 on our Amazon wish list, and we think a max of 10 cases can help get her back on track. Our pet program is only run by in-kind donations, so every item donated ensures a homebound client’s pet is able to stay fed and cared for.

Appreciate you caring for our neighbors 🫶

Celebrate with us at Coast 2026! Since our program serves homebound neighbors, we wanted to bring attendees a chance to share some love with them on their next special day 🫰Since more than 80% of our clients live alone, this is a simple but immensely powerful way to show someone you care.

We will have tons of birthday cards looking for your special message to be added to it 🥳 and if you’re feeling inspired, you can also help cover the cost of a client’s birthday meal as well.

Of course, you can also learn more about the work we do, how to volunteer and various ways you can support our work.

Our booth will be on Ocean Ave, just south of SMB (across from Water Grill). Hope to see you there 🫶

Update per commenters: Loki is home 🙌

Our team came into the office to see these all along our block. If you’re in the Pico neighborhood (esp in the northwest area off 20th and Pico), please keep an eye out for Loki!

Our friends at Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica are hosting a series of job fairs next week. Sharing for broader community visibility. Whether you know someone looking to begin a meaningful career, advance their professional journey, or make a difference in the lives of young people, this is a great opportunity to introduce them to this great organization!

Full details in the flyer. Visit https://www.smbgc.org/careers/ to preview their open roles or find contact information to ask further questions (not our event).

With Prime Day deals dropping throughout the week, did you know buying items from our Amazon wish lists is super helpful in carrying out our mission of helping homebound neighbors?

We have two wish lists - our general items and our wish list dedicated to our “100% run off item donations” pet pantry.

Our team will be keeping an eye on and updating our wish list for the best deals as they drop.

As an organization fueled completely by donation support, donating items we need for everyday office use or to feel the pets of our clients is a great way to ensure the dollars donated to the organization are funding the fully prepared meals we provide. hundreds of clients each delivery day.

Some highlights -
* We operate out of a refinished attachment of a local church. Space is tight for the team, so we’re looking to maximize the four rooms we have by replacing some larger desks (there’s a standing desk on the list with a steep discount right now). We also added a sump pump - remember the downpour we had over Christmas holidays last year? Our whole food delivery zone was inches deep in water. We hope to minimize soaking holidays by having a sump pump handy for those major storms.

* Just today, we received multiple requests for dry cat food for a total of nine client pets. We’re out of cat dry food (we went months with asks for only wet food) so we added a few affordable cat dry food options ton our pet pantry list.

* Are you a practical gifter? Many of the items are everyday use items for us - think trash bags and notepads and disinfectant for our food delivery equipment. What’s not exciting to the every day shopper is thrilling to us to receive.

We’ll add more in the comments as Prime Days goes on. Appreciate this community 🫶

Awesome turnout and lots to see and do. If you’re in the Pico area, check it out!

The Pico neighborhood is about to get a really cool new addition - the 19th St Community Farm is opening by throwing a big ol block party this Sunday (6/14/2026), 1-5pm. One of our team members will personally be trying out the complimentary bike valet (it’s a literal street party so the street will be closed - parking is at SMC campus). Will have food, music and family fun.

Meals on Wheels West is excited to have you officially in the neighborhood!

Ps - sneak peek at the garden in second pic (taken today)

We’re so excited to see the new community garden coming along so quickly (on 19th street, just north of Pico)! Our new neighbors shared at a recent sustainability event the grand opening will be held in mid-June (see last image for details) but we couldn’t resist sharing this progress pic (taken yesterday).

Older adults across Los Angeles County could lose critical services that support their health, independence, and dignity.
 
The California Department of Aging is proposing changes to the distribution of Older Americans Act funding across the state, including a 17% budget reduction for Los Angeles County. This could reduce essential services for older adults such as home-delivered meals, congregate dining, senior centers, case management, transportation, and caregiver support.
 
State leaders can still revise the funding formula before it is finalized. Your voice can help protect services, ensure funding reflects Los Angeles County’s needs, and prevent harmful cuts.
 
Simply submit a public comment to the Department of Aging by 5:00 p.m. on May 12, 2026, via email at: CA2030@aging.ca.gov. You can access a template letter here.

Read our op-ed on this topic in today’s Santa Monica Daily Press here.