December 5, 2018
Austin’s recent boil water mandate made life challenging for the vulnerable people we serve, as well as for our dedicated staff and volunteers.
As soon as Austin Water issued its boil water notice on October 22, the kitchen crew at Meals on Wheels Central Texas immediately went above and beyond the precautionary measures suggested by health officials in order to ensure the food we prepare is 100% safe for our clients to eat. Meanwhile, our Client Services Department reached out to those clients deemed most vulnerable in this particular situation.
When the City of Austin subsequently asked consumers to drastically reduce their water consumption, MOWCTX prepared and packaged frozen meals for the people we serve. Switching to frozen meals, which are just as nutritious as our regular meals, cut MOWCTX’s water consumption by as much as two-thirds. At the same time, the people we serve still received the nutritious food they count on to stay healthy and independent.
But there was still the issue of keeping clients who were unable to safely boil water hydrated. Fortunately, hundreds of generous Central Texans donated to our Bottled Water fundraiser – and that allowed us to purchase enough to bottles quench the thirst of our homebound clients in need.
Thank you to all who donated and to our wonderful volunteers for delivering all of that water to those we serve!