December 17, 2020
On Tuesday, December 15, author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced a grant of $8 million to Meals on Wheels Central Texas. The Austin-based agency is one of 384 recipients of Scott’s second large philanthropic giving initiative of the year.
Scott, who was recently named to Forbes magazine’s list of the 100 most powerful women in the world, has become known for trust-based philanthropy that provides funds to trusted community organizations to use as they see fit in order to support their mission. Earlier this year, Scott gifted $1.67 billion to 116 non-profits across the country.
“Ms. Scott’s transformational grant will help our agency as we continue to meet the growing and complex needs of the homebound seniors we are honored to serve. It will allow us to feed more hungry Central Texas seniors and provide other services to ensure they are not forgotten and can age with dignity and independence, while saving taxpayers money in the process,” said Adam Hauser, President/CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Texas. “We are humbled by Ms. Scott’s generosity and deeply thankful for the trust she has shown in our agency and the work we do. And, we are immensely grateful for our Central Texas donor and volunteer community for their loyal support and for helping us create and sustain an organization worthy of this extraordinary gift.”
The Austin-Round Rock area has the second-fastest growing senior population in the country. As its population grows, so does the need for the life-sustaining services Meals on Wheels Central Texas provides – and this has been especially true during the pandemic. Since the stay-at-home orders first went into effect in April 2020, our volunteers have delivered over 640,000 meals.