Oklahoma City Community Foundation awards $17,900 to 11 United Methodist Churches

OKLAHOMA CITY – This winter, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is helping provide warm meals to homebound elderly citizens by awarding $51,600 in grants to 40 area churches and organizations that prepare and deliver mobile meals through Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City. In addition, the Foundation is awarding $5,000 each to Meals on Wheels of Norman and Edmond Mobile Meals to support seniors in their areas.

“This year has been challenging for most of us, but it has been particularly difficult for homebound seniors, who rely on services that provide access to health care, nutrition, recreation and interaction with others,” said Nancy B. Anthony, Oklahoma City Community Foundation president. “We are grateful for our donors, who give the resources to support essential care for the most vulnerable among us.”

Since 2008, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation has distributed more than $450,000 in support of mobile meals programs in central Oklahoma. According to Meals on Wheels of Oklahoma City, one in 12 senior citizens in Oklahoma County lives in poverty, and nearly 16,000 lack consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Through the mobile meals programs in Oklahoma City, Norman and Edmond, home-delivered meals are available to all seniors age 60 and older who are unable to leave their homes without assistance or prepare meals due to health limitations regardless of income.

In 2020, Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City volunteers provided nutritious meals, wellness checks and meaningful contact for nearly 1,400 homebound senior citizens living in central Oklahoma who are unable to prepare their own meals.

“Senior hunger has unfortunately been a major issue in Oklahoma County for years, and the coronavirus pandemic has made it even worse,” said Chris Lambert, director of Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City. “Since March, we’ve added nearly 700 seniors to Meals on Wheels, and our meal deliveries have doubled to more than 16,000 meals each month. The generosity shown by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and our community allows us to bring hope to so many who are isolated from their friends, family and neighbors, and lets them know someone cares. Hope is more than a meal.”

Grants were awarded to the following United Methodist churches that provide home-delivered meals in central Oklahoma:

• Chapel Hill United Methodist Church
• Choctaw United Methodist Church
• Church of the Servant United Methodist Church
• Cornerstone United Methodist Church
• Crown Heights United Methodist Church
• Mosaic United Methodist Church
• Southern Hills United Methodist Church
• Spencer United Methodist Church
• St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
• St. Matthew United Methodist Church
• Village United Methodist Church