Rural Meals On Wheels Feels The Pinch As Demand Rises

MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Sitting down for a hot meal with loved ones is a luxury that most of us have every day. But for Wisconsin’s rural seniors who may be homebound, isolated, and unable to prepare their own food… the story is different. Ronda James is the nutrition program director at the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Central Wisconsin. They serve Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, and Wood counties with the Meals on Wheels program.
Just last year, their small team and 350+ volunteers delivered 145,000 meals to more than 1,300 residents. Unfortunately, James says their costs have gone up about 30 percent as the demand for the program also grows. She says Wisconsin's older population (60+) has skyrocketed in the past decade. Nearly a third of that entire population is rural. James says the Meals on Wheels program would not exist without volunteers. Delivery routes sometimes creep up to 60 miles in total. That's 30 miles from a "city center" such as Merrill, Antigo, or Wisconsin Rapids. Marathon County is the largest geographic county in Wisconsin, so it's hard to reach the farthest corners of the county with volunteers because it takes 80-100 miles in a day, James says. We also hear from volunteer Tony Omernik who says the work is worth it.

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