• Individuals ages 60 or older who are:
  • Physically unable to shop and/or prepare meals due to severe illness or disability,
  • Mentally incapable of providing for their nutritional needs (they may become confused or forgetful), and/or
  • Homebound or unable to leave the home without assistance.
• Individuals younger than age 60 who are living with a severe disability or terminal illness.

Clients must live alone or with a family member who is unable to provide/prepare nutritionally adequate meals. Clients must not be receiving services from another agency that includes meal preparation in its care plans. Clients must live within the service area and have access to a facility for refrigerating food.

Clients in our traditional home-delivered program are asked to make a voluntary contribution to help defray the cost of meals. The suggested voluntary contribution is $8 per day for the two meals. Any contribution is gratefully accepted; no client is turned away due to an inability or unwillingness to contribute. Donations are accepted by check, money order or SNAP benefit.

Getting our meal recipients the food that best fits their needs is the top priority at FeedMore WNY. For that reason, a number of menu options are available. They include:

• Regular—Our regular menu primarily includes common food items with modifications made to control sodium, fat and cholesterol. These heart-healthy modifications include using 1% low-fat milk and sodium-reduced meats, and avoiding high-sodium seasonings/salt altogether.
• Calorie Controlled (Diabetic or Weight Control)—In addition to the modifications listed above, this menu eliminates highly sweetened foods. Lower calorie substitutes for desserts (gelatins, puddings, cookies, cakes, etc.) containing sugar are included.
• Bland—In addition to the modifications described in the regular menu description, the bland menu eliminates some foods that are a little more difficult to digest, such as tomato products, corn and baked beans.
• Renal Calorie Controlled—For individuals on dialysis, this option has modifications that control protein, phosphorous, potassium and sodium. These changes include the elimination of such foods as milk, tomato products, spinach, oranges, orange juice, bananas, prunes, dried peas and beans. It also includes a reduction of foods such as cheese and potatoes. Lower sugar substitutes are used for puddings, cakes and cookies. This menu does not provide a fluid restriction.
• Ground—Ground meat (hot meal only) is available for participants based on need. In this option, whole meats such as chicken, roast beef, and turkey are ground from fresh meat when they are on the menu. All soft foods (casseroles, ground meat patties) are served in their normal state.
• Avoiding Gluten—For those with a documented medical need for reduced gluten meals. These meals are prepared in a separate kitchen, adjacent to our normal meal production, with the key goal of avoiding contact with gluten-containing ingredients. A unit of meals consists of two parts – a frozen entrée and fresh cold lunch – each prepared in the FeedMore WNY commissary. To avoid cross-contamination, these food items are delivered in a separate cooler, away from standard meals that may contain gluten. These meals are not considered "gluten-free," but do have reduced gluten content. A doctor's prescription is required for "avoiding gluten" meals.

Applying for, and starting to receive home-delivered meals, is simple. All you have to do is fill out the form below, or call our intake department at (716) 822-2002, Monday through Friday, anytime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please be prepared to provide the following information:

• Full name
• Complete address (apartment number, zip code, etc.) and phone number
• Date of birth
• Marital status
• Name, address and phone number (home and work) of one person who can be contacted in case of emergency
• Physician’s name, complete address and phone number
• Eligibility information—why are home delivered meals needed?

FeedMore WNY Social Workers will then work with the applicant or caregiver to arrange for meal service to begin. Most recipients receive their first meals within a day or two of assessment. More specific information on this will be provided when you call to apply. All efforts will be made to provide meal delivery service as soon as possible.

For our most vulnerable, long-term clients, FeedMore WNY provides meals seven days a week—including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays when the agency is closed. A dietitian will assess whether weekend and holiday meals are needed. For those clients who receive them, weekend meals are delivered frozen on Thursday with the recipients’ regular delivery.

Each fall, FeedMore WNY reminds its home-delivered meal clients to stock up on emergency foods for the winter months. “Blizzard Boxes” are also assembled, containing a one-day supply of canned goods. The boxes are delivered to participants who are at highest risk and to police stations throughout our service area. In the rare event that meal delivery service is cancelled due to a severe storm, the police assist in delivering the “Blizzard Boxes.”

Q: What communities does FeedMore WNY's home-delivered meals program serve?
A: Our delivery area encompasses the majority of Erie and Niagara counties. This includes the City of Buffalo and most of the surrounding areas, including: Akron, Angola, Blasdell, Boston, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Colden, Concord, Depew, Derby, East Aurora, Eden, Elma, Evans, Farnham, Hamburg, Holland, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Marilla, Newstead, Orchard Park, Sardinia, Sloan, South Wales, Springville, and West Seneca, as well as Lockport, Lewiston, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda and the surrounding areas. If you live outside of our service area, we can refer you to the closest/most convenient Meals on Wheels agency.

Q: How are meals delivered?
A: Preparing and delivering thousands of meals out to hungry recipients in a timely fashion each and every day is not as easy as the agency makes it look! The process begins bright and early each morning, as the day's meals, expertly planned by FeedMore WNY dietitians, are cooked and assembled fresh at the agency's commissary. The meals are packed in cold chests and ovens, then driven out to each of the organization's more than 30 meal-delivery sites across WNY. Several hundred dedicated volunteers take over from there, each delivering meals to 10-12 individuals per day around lunch time.

Q: How is your program funded?
A: The essential work done by FeedMore WNY is made possible by generous financial support from community members, local foundations and corporations, as well as through grants from the federal government, the New York State Department of Health and Office for the Aging, Erie County’s Departments of Senior and Social Services and Niagara County’s Office for the Aging.

Q: What meals are provided?
A: A hot meal at midday and a cold meal for supper are delivered five days a week, Monday through Friday, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Both regular meals and special-diet meals are specially designed to meet the participant’s dietary needs as prescribed by a physician. The hot midday meal contains meat or an alternate, two vegetables or juice, bread, dessert and milk. The cold supper is a sandwich or cold plate, salad or juice, dessert and milk. All meals are prepared fresh on a daily basis.

Q: Are there days that service is not available?
A: All clients are eligible for Monday through Friday delivery. Vulnerable clients are eligible for weekend meals (see section above). FeedMore WNY closes only for the six major holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. A process is in place to make sure that vulnerable clients receive holiday meals prior to a closure.

All home-delivered clients with pets are eligible to receive free pet food once a month through the AniMeals program. This helps ensure that clients’ furry friends are cared for and that clients can enjoy the benefits of a pet companion. If interested, ask about AniMeals during enrollment.