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Meals On Wheels Serves 1st Thanksgiving Meals To Seniors & Those w/ Disabilities

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Cracking eggs and mixing up batter, Metro Meals on Wheels staff are hard at work this Thanksgiving morning, crafting festive treats for their clients.

This day of thanks is also a day of firsts for the community based service.

"It's been an exciting year for us, we opened up the new kitchen in March and this is our first holiday meal. We have a commercial production kitchen now where we are able to work with Open Arms to prepare scratch food for our seniors in need," said Patrick Rowan, Meals on Wheels Executive Director.

Back in March, Meals on Wheels opened the door of their Kitchen of Opportunities in south Minneapolis, allowing the organization to go from serving hundreds of people to thousands of people throughout the year, including on Thanksgiving.

Once it's all cooked, the food is packed fresh and vacuum sealed in these oven and microwave safe containers before being hand-delivered throughout the day.

The service isn't just about providing a meal though.

Sometimes, a client's conversation with Meals on Wheels volunteers is the only social interaction they will have all day, including special holidays like today.

"I think it gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of community and it's an incredibly rewarding experience for the volunteers as well," said Rowan.

Meals on Wheels clients will be getting a delicious Pumpkin Bar for dessert.

If you would like to make them, you can find the recipe here.

On Thanksgiving Day, 500 meals will be delivered across the metro area.

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