October 13, 2020
Please note we have moved our COVID-19 update here.
October 5, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home orders went into effect, volunteers have delivered nearly 500,000 meals. And we’re enlisting their invaluable help again to deliver another round of meals to our homebound clients this Friday, October 9.
Please note that during three of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible.
We will need active Meals on Wheels volunteers who have a weekly route, or serve as a substitute, or are part of an active delivery team to help us get more food to those we serve. If you are a current volunteer, please come to our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702) this Friday, October 9, between 9:00AM-11:30AM to deliver two-week’s worth of meals to clients. We urge all Meals on Wheels volunteers to wear masks and exercise social distancing while picking up and delivering meals. Visit the CDC website for instructions on proper usage as well as how to make your own mask.
In an effort to streamline the meal pick-up process, we ask volunteers to do two things before they come to Central Kitchen on Friday:
- Clear space in backseat or trunk in order to make room for the boxes and bags of meals our staff will load into the vehicle.
- Bring an ink pen and please keep it handy.
During this Friday’s meal pick-up, we will be posting regular updates on the Meals on Wheels Central Texas Facebook (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas), Twitter (@mealsonwheels) and Instagram (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas) platforms. These messages will contain the latest information on estimated wait time, if any, and number of routes left. We encourage volunteers to look for those updates before coming to pick up meals.
Please note that we have pushed back plans to integrate frozen meals into the two week supply of lunches we provide clients every other Friday during the pandemic. That transition will now begin with the meal delivery scheduled for Friday, October 23. Keep in mind that when we do begin including frozen meals (starting with the October 23 delivery) that volunteers will need to:
- Bring two large coolers when picking up meals at our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702). This is to accommodate the frozen lunches which are much bulkier than their shelf-stable counterpart – and to keep the meals at safe temperatures.
- Immediately contact our Customer Service Department at 512-476-6325 should no one answer the door at a clients’ house. We will attempt to reach the client by phone to see if they are home before the volunteer moves on to their next delivery. Volunteers should never leave any meals unattended.
We deeply appreciate our dedicated volunteers and their unwavering commitment to our cause!
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc. And Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday.
The Senior Centers Program is also kicking off its Fall Fitness Challenge. This will be a 6 week program promoting health and well-being and includes weekly activities featuring a personal trainer, a guest Tai Chi instructor and the Texas Health and Human Services’ Texercise program led by staff.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and are staying in virtual contact with their caregivers. Mike’s Place participants and volunteers keep in touch via Zoom or via socially-distanced porch visits outside of clients’ homes.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered more than 470,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
September 28, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home order went into effect, volunteers have delivered more than 470,000 meals.
All of our home-delivered meal clients now have enough shelf-stable lunches to last until October 9. That’s after our dedicated volunteers dropped off a two-week supply of food this past Friday. While stay-at-home orders are in effect, we have replaced daily meal service with a two-week bundle of meals every other week. All volunteers must wear masks; have been instructed on how to safely deliver meals while also exercising social distancing, and have been told not to enter clients’ homes when dropping off food. We’ll need our volunteers again on Friday, October 9, to deliver another round of meals to the older Central Texans we serve. Meals can be picked up anytime between 9AM-12PM (or until we run out of meal routes) on Friday, October 9.
The Friday, October 9, delivery day is also when clients will each begin receiving five frozen meals and five shelf-stable meals with every delivery.
The addition of the frozen meals will affect volunteers in two ways:
- Beginning Friday, October 9, volunteers should bring five insulated bags or two large coolers with them when they pick up their meals at our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702). This is to ensure the frozen lunches maintain safe temperatures AND to accommodate the frozen lunches which are much bulkier than their shelf-stable counterpart.
- Beginning Friday, October 9, clients or family members must be at home to accept meals. If someone does not answer the door, we ask that volunteers call 512-476-6325 and notify one of our Customer Service Representatives who will try to reach the client by phone. Volunteers should never leave any meals unattended.
Please note that during three of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible!
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc. And Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday.
The Senior Centers Program is also kicking off its Fall Fitness Challenge. This will be a 6 week program promoting health and well-being and includes weekly activities featuring a personal trainer, a guest Tai Chi instructor and the Texas Health and Human Services’ Texercise program led by staff.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and are staying in virtual contact with their caregivers. Mike’s Place participants and volunteers keep in touch via Zoom or via socially-distanced porch visits outside of clients’ homes.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered more than 470,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
September 21, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home orders went into effect, volunteers have delivered more than 400,000 meals. And we’re enlisting their invaluable help again to deliver another round of meals to our homebound clients this Friday, September 25.
Please note that during two of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members both times to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible.
We will need active Meals on Wheels volunteers who have a weekly route, or serve as a substitute, or are part of an active delivery team to help us get more food to those we serve. If you are a current volunteer, please come to our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702) this Friday, September 25, between 9:00AM-11:30AM to deliver two-week’s worth of meals to clients. We urge all Meals on Wheels volunteers to wear masks and exercise social distancing while picking up and delivering meals. Visit the CDC website for instructions on proper usage as well as how to make your own mask.
In an effort to streamline the meal pick-up process, we ask volunteers to do two things before they come to Central Kitchen on Friday:
- Clear space in backseat or trunk in order to make room for the boxes and bags of meals our staff will load into the vehicle.
- Bring an ink pen and please keep it handy.
During this Friday’s meal pick-up, we will be posting regular updates on the Meals on Wheels Central Texas Facebook (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas), Twitter (@mealsonwheels) and Instagram (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas) platforms. These messages will contain the latest information on estimated wait time, if any, and number of routes left. We encourage volunteers to look for those updates before coming to pick up meals.
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc. And Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday.
The Senior Centers Program is also kicking off its Fall Fitness Challenge. This will be a 6 week program promoting health and well-being and includes weekly activities featuring a personal trainer, a guest Tai Chi instructor and the Texas Health and Human Services’ Texercise program led by staff.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and staying in touch by phone with their caregivers. And while they can’t get together in person for the time being, Mike’s Place participants and volunteers stay in touch via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered nearly 440,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
September 14, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home order went into effect, volunteers have delivered nearly 440,000 meals.
All of our home-delivered meal clients now have enough shelf-stable lunches to last them through September 25. That’s after our dedicated volunteers dropped off a two-week supply of food this past Friday. While stay-at-home orders are in effect, we have replaced daily meal service with a two-week bundle of meals every other week. All volunteers must wear masks; have been instructed on how to safely deliver meals while also exercising social distancing, and have been told not to enter clients’ homes when dropping off food. We’ll need our volunteers again on Friday, September 25, to deliver another round of meals to the older Central Texans we serve. Meals can be picked up anytime between 9AM-11:30AM (or until we run out of meal routes) on Friday, September 25.
Please note that during two of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members both times to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible!
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc. And Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and staying in touch by phone with their caregivers. And while they can’t get together in person for the time being, Mike’s Place participants and volunteers stay in touch via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered nearly 440,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
September 7, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home orders went into effect, volunteers have delivered more than 400,000 meals. And we’re enlisting their invaluable help again to deliver another round of meals to our homebound clients this Friday, September 11.
Please note that during two of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members both times to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible.
We will need active Meals on Wheels volunteers who have a weekly route, or serve as a substitute, or are part of an active delivery team to help us get more food to those we serve. If you are a current volunteer, please come to our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702) this Friday, September 11, between 9:00AM-11:30AM to deliver two-week’s worth of meals to clients. We urge all Meals on Wheels volunteers to wear masks and exercise social distancing while picking up and delivering meals. Visit the CDC website for instructions on proper usage as well as how to make your own mask.
In an effort to streamline the meal pick-up process, we ask volunteers to do two things before they come to Central Kitchen on Friday:
- Clear space in backseat or trunk in order to make room for the boxes and bags of meals our staff will load into the vehicle.
- Bring an ink pen and please keep it handy.
During this Friday’s meal pick-up, we will be posting regular updates on the Meals on Wheels Central Texas Facebook (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas), Twitter (@mealsonwheels) and Instagram (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas) platforms. These messages will contain the latest information on estimated wait time, if any, and number of routes left. We encourage volunteers to look for those updates before coming to pick up meals.
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc.
Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday. And Bancorp South is also offering them a free eight-week virtual Financial Education series every Friday at 10AM through early September.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and staying in touch by phone with their caregivers. And while they can’t get together in person for the time being, Mike’s Place participants and volunteers stay in touch via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered more than 400,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
September 1, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home order went into effect, volunteers have delivered more than 400,000 meals.
All of our home-delivered meal clients now have enough shelf-stable lunches to last them through September 11. That’s after our dedicated volunteers dropped off a two-week supply of food this past Friday. While stay-at-home orders are in effect, we have replaced daily meal service with a two-week bundle of meals every other week. All volunteers must wear masks; have been instructed on how to safely deliver meals while also exercising social distancing, and have been told not to enter clients’ homes when dropping off food. We’ll need our volunteers again on Friday, September 11, to deliver another round of meals to the older Central Texans we serve. Meals can be picked up anytime between 9AM-11:30AM (or until we run out of meal routes) on Friday, September 11.
Please note that during two of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members both times to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible!
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc.
Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday. And Bancorp South is also offering them a free eight-week virtual Financial Education series every Friday at 10AM through early September.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and staying in touch by phone with their caregivers. And while they can’t get together in person for the time being, Mike’s Place participants and volunteers stay in touch via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered more than 400,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
August 24, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve to make sure they are okay and their needs are being met.
Our team members, other than essential staff, will also keep working from home until further notice. MOWCTX will continue to maintain social distancing, limit the number of staff in the office, exercise good cleaning and sanitization practices throughout our facility, and require staff to wear masks while in the office.
At the same time, we are planning for when we can resume daily meal deliveries—and we will keep you updated regarding our timeline. In the meantime, thank you so very much for your continued support of our life sustaining mission. Because of you, we are able to help our homebound older neighbors when they need us most!
Yours in Service,
Adam I. Hauser
__________________________________________________________
Here is a quick update on our programs and how our agency is dealing with the pandemic:
Meals on Wheels
Our Meals on Wheels volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, since stay at home orders went into effect, volunteers have delivered nearly 370,000 meals. And we’re enlisting their invaluable help again to deliver another round of meals to our homebound clients this Friday, August 28.
Please note that during one of our recent delivery days, we didn’t have enough volunteers show up. Fortunately, we had enough staff members to cover those meal routes. But that may not always be the case – which means clients could potentially miss out on future meals. That’s why it’s so important for our volunteers to help us if at all possible.
We will need active Meals on Wheels volunteers who have a weekly route, or serve as a substitute, or are part of an active delivery team to help us get more food to those we serve. If you are a current volunteer, please come to our Central Kitchen (3227 East 5th Street, 78702) this Friday, August 28, between 9:00AM-11:30AM to deliver two-week’s worth of meals to clients. We urge all Meals on Wheels volunteers to wear masks and exercise social distancing while picking up and delivering meals. Visit the CDC website for instructions on proper usage as well as how to make your own mask.
In an effort to streamline the meal pick-up process, we ask volunteers to do two things before they come to Central Kitchen on Friday:
- Clear space in backseat or trunk in order to make room for the boxes and bags of meals our staff will load into the vehicle.
- Bring an ink pen and please keep it handy.
During this Friday’s meal pick-up, we will be posting regular updates on the Meals on Wheels Central Texas Facebook (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas), Twitter (@mealsonwheels) and Instagram (@mealsonwheelscentraltexas) platforms. These messages will contain the latest information on estimated wait time, if any, and number of routes left. We encourage volunteers to look for those updates before coming to pick up meals.
Case Management
While the meals nourish our clients bodies, our dedicated Client Services team is nourishing their spirit; spending hours on the phone each day calling the nearly 3,000 homebound older Central Texans we serve, checking on them, assessing their needs, and easing their concerns. At the same time, we have also brought back our “Care Calls” program which provides clients with reassuring phone calls from friendly volunteers in order to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, - ‘viruses’ that are just as insidious as COVID-19 and we are committed to addressing both during this challenging time.
Clients who have access to the internet are also invited to participate in the virtual bingo games and other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program (see “Senior Centers” later in this update).
In-Home Care
Meals on Wheels Central Texas In-Home Care continues to provide essential in-home care services to help our clients remain safe in their home. Our caregivers are trained to comply with all required health and safety precautions, and pre-screen themselves and the clients they serve for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses prior to delivering these services.
Our In-Home Care division is also hiring caregivers – with orientation sessions held every Tuesday (1PM-4PM) and Thursday (10AM-1PM) at our offices (3227 East 5th Street 78702). Health screenings are conducted prior to entering our facility, and our orientations are conducted in accordance with applicable social distancing guidelines
Home Repair
Our Home Repair program continues to repair the exteriors of clients’ houses and perform emergency interior repairs. Work crews are completing projects while also adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOPE
HOPE clients are still receiving monthly supplies of shelf stable groceries delivered by wonderful volunteers who take every precaution to protect the health of the clients and themselves.
PALS
Thanks to the hard work of our pet loving volunteers, our clients’ beloved dogs and cats are still getting monthly supplies of pet food. These drop-offs are also done while adhering to health and safety protocols.
PALS has resumed veterinary care transports for clients’ pets. Volunteers and clinic staff follow all health and safety protocols.
Groceries to Go
Dedicated Grocery to Go volunteers continue to make trips to the grocery store for our clients in this program while also adhering to health and safety protocols.
Senior Centers
Although all local Senior Centers are temporarily closed due to the pandemic, we continue to nourish and enrich the lives of program participants by offering weekly curbside meal distribution at the sites. Clients not only receive a week’s supply of lunches, they also take home an activity packet containing games, puzzles, etc.
Senior Center participants play Virtual Bingo every Tuesday. And Bancorp South is also offering them a free eight-week virtual Financial Education series every Friday at 10AM through early September.
Connecting Seniors with Technology
While our Connecting Seniors with Technology (CST) program has temporarily suspended in-home face to face training sessions, CST volunteers are staying in touch electronically with their tech clients, helping them trouble-shoot any issues they might have and stay socially connected with the outside world. And CST clients are also welcome to play Virtual Bingo or any other virtual activities currently being offered by our Senior Centers program.
Mike’s Place
Although Mike’s Place has temporarily suspended respite care, we are providing participants with nutritious meals and activity kits delivered to their home and staying in touch by phone with their caregivers. And while they can’t get together in person for the time being, Mike’s Place participants and volunteers stay in touch via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Because of your continued support we’ve delivered nearly 370,000 emergency meals to help our most vulnerable neighbors at a time when they need us the most!
During the month of August, visit either Wheatsville Food Co-op location and round up your purchase at the cash register. All donations will benefit MOWCTX.
We will keep you posted on any future developments regarding the pandemic. In the meantime, we deeply appreciate your continued support of our mission!
August 17, 2020
A Message from Adam Hauser/President-CEO MOWCTX:
At Meals on Wheels Central Texas, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of the vulnerable population we serve and that of our dedicated volunteers and hard-working staff.
That is why, at a time when COVID-19 still poses a grave threat to our community, our agency will continue to operate under the same emergency protocols we implemented when stay at home orders were first issued for Austin and Travis County. It is imperative we do since the older adults we serve are most at risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
For that reason, our wonderful volunteers will keep delivering two weeks’ of food to clients every other Friday until further notice. And MOWCTX case managers and volunteers will continue to reach out by phone to the homebound elders we serve