Community Meals on Wheels, Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 1977 by Church Women United. Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver hot, nutritious meals to homebound residents of the Charlottesville/Albemarle area who find it difficult or impossible to prepare meals for themselves.

Meals are delivered at lunchtime every Monday through Friday, including all holidays that fall on weekdays. We currently have an active volunteer force of almost 200 and serve meals to between 180 and 200 clients in the city of Charlottesville, the urban part of Albemarle County, the Scottsville and Esmont areas, and portions of western Albemarle. Our long-term goal is to serve all of Albemarle County.

As an independent, local organization, Meals on Wheels receives neither state nor federal funding for its operating budget. Instead, Meals on Wheels relies on contributions from individuals, businesses, and organizations in our community to support its home-delivered meals program. Some clients can pay the full cost of their meals and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA) provides subsidies for certain individuals over age 60 who meet their eligibility requirements. The vast majority of our clients receive meals paid for through community contributions made directly to Meals on Wheels.

Meals are prepared under the supervision of a registered dietician at Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center and each client's dietary needs are met. Special diets are available including diabetic, renal, no-salt-added and soft or chopped food.

Meals on Wheels is happy to be able to provide special services for our recipients, such as wintertime emergency food bags, birthday cards, Thanksgiving favors, and Christmas gifts. These extras would not be possible without the generous help we've received through the years from local businesses and community groups.

Meals on Wheels provides a source of daily social contact for people who would otherwise be alone. It also allows for earlier release from hospitals and long term care facilities and helps in keeping elderly and disabled persons out of institutions altogether. It can help older married couples to remain together and gives many people the opportunity to live in their own homes for longer periods of time. Because volunteers check on meal recipients every day, people who live alone can feel safe, knowing that someone would notice if anything were to happen to them.