We are excited to announce a donation from Chad Richison through the Richison Family Foundation for a generous gift of $150,000 to Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City to provide more than 20,000 meals to homebound seniors in need over the next eight weeks. In the two weeks since shelter in place has been issued, Meals on Wheels now delivers 500 additional weekly meals due to increased individual demand for services and the closure of many meal delivery programs due to COVID-19 concerns. The organization is also currently making plans to add 25% more clients each week to assist. “We expect the number of seniors in need of free home delivered meals to grow exponentially and for more of our church partners to turn to Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City for help delivering meals to homebound seniors. This gift will allow us to remain proactive in our approach to the health and safety of our seniors and expand our meal delivery model,” said Chris Lambert, Director of Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City.
“This incredible gift will open up a world of resources for those struggling to make ends meet during this unprecedented, trying time. We have a goal of feeding 1,000 seniors every day; this gift will not only make that possible, it will allow us to seek out even more homebound seniors who may not know this service is free and available to them. We can’t thank Chad and the Richison Family Foundation enough for their generosity,” said Dr. Bob Long, Senior Pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church who oversees Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City.
Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City is also receiving an influx of calls for emergency shelf-stable food for seniors. The Richison Family Foundation’s recent gift to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has already impacted seniors by helping Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to partner to deliver over 800 emergency food boxes to homebound seniors in Oklahoma County last week.
Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City is committed to reaching out to ensure all homebound seniors in Oklahoma County have access to a free hot meal daily. This gift from Chad Richison and the Richison Family Foundation will give the organization the resources to take on new clients daily rather than adding people to a waiting list as funding becomes available. Dr. Long shared, “We have a profound sense of relief because of this generous donation. We can now expand our operations during this time of crisis. What an immense opportunity we have to serve others.”
More information about how you can support Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City by volunteering or by donating click here.
