Valley Meals is the only resource for older adults for nutritious, balanced, and delicious home delivered meals in eastern Garfield County. Living alone, many at or below poverty with no or limited access to transportation, older adults (over 60 years of age) in eastern Garfield County suffer from food insecurity and are in need of access to healthy meals and healthy food options on a regular basis. Valley Meals is here for them!
Recent research revealed that nearly 30% of Garfield County older adults experience loneliness. In May 2023 the U.S. Surgeon General equated the physical effects of loneliness to smoking 13 cigarettes a day. Having a Valley Meals' balanced meal to eat and a regular, friendly, in-person visit, gives our elders a reason to get up, shower, and dress to greet their delivering volunteer which positively affects their overall wellness.
Proper nutrition, supplied by Valley Meals’ home deliveries, is the foundation for supporting vital bodily functions, increasing energy levels, and improving immune response. Poor nutrition can contribute to weight gain, obesity, and an increased risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Home delivered meals, at least 4 days each week, helps keep the doctor away!
Valley Meals’ primary goal is that no older adult in eastern Garfield County is without access to food and/or daily meals, prepared or easily prepared, and that Valley Meals is a valuable resource for older adults, their spouses, families & friends, caregivers and first responders. Valley Meals provides a visit and safety check from a community member (our volunteers) at least 4 days each week. Valley Meals fosters the acknowledgement and respect of the older adults who are living independently among us and promotes their value to a robust and balanced community.
Valley Meals and More's mission is to enhance the wellness of older adults in the region by providing access to nutritious daily meals and connection to community members, to allow older residents to age in place, safely, independently and with dignity.
Valley Meals and More (Valley Meals), a Colorado 501c3, was formed in 2020 to fill a gap in older adult services – home delivered meals - in rural Garfield County. The pilot program served 8 homebound older adults, 2 days/week, with meals sourced/delivered from nearby Eagle County. Soon thereafter, the pandemic broke out and Valley Meals became a critical resource for daily access to nutritious food for over 80 older adults, living in and around Carbondale, El Jebel and the Crystal Valley, as they stayed “safer at home.”
In August 2022, Valley View Hospital suspended their Meals on Wheels program in Glenwood Springs and transferred their 15 meal recipients to the Valley Meals Program, expanding the Valley Meals service area to include West Glenwood, Four Mile, and Glenwood Springs and doubling the number of volunteers needed daily. The number of meal recipients in the Glenwood Springs area has grown by over 500% to 95 unique elder individuals.
Since its inception, Valley Meals has been successful in planning, purchasing, and delivering meals to over 300 older adults, at no cost to them, using non-profit, private, and governmental funding.
Organization name
Valley Meals and More
2020
Tax id (EIN)
85-3763556
Category
Human Services, Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
36 NATIVE LNGarfield County, CO, US
Carbondale, CO, US, 81623
Glenwood Springs, CO, US, 81601