Bloomington Meals on Wheels began in 1973 through the dedication and foresight of a few area women from the Local Council of Women who saw the need for nutritious low cost meals to be delivered directly to the homebound throughout the city of Bloomington. Through sheer tenacity and private funds, the first meals were delivered on February 18, 1974 to 4 clients by 3 volunteers. In less than a year, the organization operated 4 routes within the Bloomington city limits.
Today Meals on Wheels operates 7 routes with the capacity to serve 84 and has over 200 volunteers delivering more than 1000 meals a month to those unable to prepare food independently due to illness, injury or temporary or permanent disability.Through the support of both Bloomington Hospital and Meadowood Retirement Community nutritious meals are offered to clients at an affordable cost.
Volunteers donate their time and their vehicles to deliver meals Monday through Friday. For 36 years, Meals on Wheels was operated solely by volunteers. In August 2010, Kathy Romy was hired as the first paid Executive Director of the program. Romy will oversee the daily operations of the organization, including increasing exposure of the organization’s mission to the community.
A partnership with Bloomington Hospital Foundation was forged in 2010 to lend annual fundraising support. Funds raised will assist Meals On Wheels to expand their programming to include eligible clients unable to pay for the service. In July 2012, a 7th delivery route was established – our first expansion since 1996.
MOW celebrated its 40th year of service in 2013, and marked the occasion with several events and celebrations throughout the year, including being honored with the Be More Healthy Award from the Bloomington Volunteer Network and Be More Awards. In 2017, Bloomington Meals on Wheels was awarded the Serve Indiana Award for Excellence for Outstanding Volunteer Program. It honors the outstanding Hoosiers who have answered the call to service and volunteerism in their communities so passionately. Carrie McHaley became Executive Director of Bloomington Meals on Wheels in 2019.
With surging waitlists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomington Meals on Wheels launched route 9 in July, 2020, bringing the total number of clients served to 96. In January, 2021, Bloomington Meals on Wheels moved out of IU Health Bloomington Hospital and into an independent office at Executive Park North. Through a revived partnership, Hoosier Hills Food Bank transported the prepared meals from IU Health Bloomington Hospital to the new office for volunteer pick-up. Requests for food from Bloomington residents not ill enough for Meals on Wheels skyrocketed. In August, 2021, a pilot program called Groceries to Go was instituted to address this need. Groceries to Go delivered bi-weekly bags of nonperishable foods to Meals on Wheels clients to supplement their delivered meals and provide weekend nourishment. In January, 2022, the program was significantly expanded to serve up to 100 Bloomington residents weekly. The program acquired additional space and hired a part-time program coordinator to manage the effort.
