Many of you are reading this article on the day of LifePath’s Annual Walkathon: Saturday, October 18. Registration and check-in begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, with the event starting at 10 a.m. All are welcome, and there’s the additional incentive of the Fall Food Festival and Car Show beginning at 12 p.m., right next door. I’ll be walking with my team for the tenth year, an activity I look forward to as a way to see our community out in support of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
The Walkathon is an important event for LifePath because funds raised through the Walkathon go to support LifePath’s Meals on Wheels (MOW) program, as well as other essential programs. As the federal administration keeps threatening to decrease federal support for MOW, which accounts for a quarter of MOW’s funding (25%), your support is needed even more than usual to keep this and other programs going.
Why Funding for Meals on Wheels Is Important
Our Meals on Wheels program keeps elders fed. Just as important, our volunteer MOW drivers provide social interaction and a wellness check. In many cases, they are the only person the older adult sees that day. Also, over the years, MOW drivers have called emergency services multiple times for a person on their route who is in medical distress, literally saving their life.
LifePath’s Meals on Wheels kitchen in Erving, MA, serves around 500 people a day via 32 routes, delivering to older people who may not be able to prepare a healthy meal for themselves. There are approximately 20 staff members and 60 volunteers who make this happen each day. Everyone receives a hot, noontime lunch. The meals are designed by registered dietitians to be nutritionally balanced and healthy.
In addition, as of October 1, 2025, LifePath has begun partnering with City Fresh Foods to provide catering services for LifePath’s Meals on Wheels program. This was the result of a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process in which many proposals were received and reviewed, with City Fresh coming in as the best fit for our program. City Fresh is cooking meals from scratch in their Roxbury, MA, facility and then chilling them in pans that are delivered daily to our Meals on Wheels kitchen in Erving, as well as our 10 congregate meal sites (where older adults can socialize together while receiving a meal). The meals are then heated and portioned for serving at both the Meals on Wheels kitchen and congregate locations.
City Fresh makes fresh, healthy meals for older adults. Every day, they create and deliver thousands of meals from scratch, then distribute them to surrounding communities. They contribute to the Massachusetts economy while building sustainable careers and strengthening the local food system and community. Both LifePath and City Fresh believe that good food helps people stay strong, independent, and connected, and City Fresh takes pride in making meals that taste great, are good for you, and are delivered with care. Also, as a certified minority-owned and employee-owned company, City Fresh reflects the diversity of our communities and works hard to serve everyone with fairness and respect.
While this is an exciting change for our program, it doesn’t alter our local nutrition team or our pool of volunteer Meals on Wheels drivers. All of the same dedicated people who have been making Meals on Wheels and Congregate Dining meals possible will continue to do so. We also expect to be able to add new meal types and new menu items as a result of this change, though the foundations of our menu will remain the same.
Lynne Feldman, Associate Executive Director at LifePath, when asked about this change, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with City Fresh, a Massachusetts-based company with a strong commitment to quality and 30 years of experience preparing meals for community service programs. Since their employees own the company, we know they will prepare meals for our program with care. Their focus on providing great, nutritious meals for older people perfectly complements our mission to serve our community with dignity and pride.”
These important services and improvements to the food we deliver to older community members can only continue with ongoing funding. At the time I’m writing this, the government is still shut down. This shutdown has added to the need for donations. According to the Administration of Community Living (ACL), “The overwhelming majority of Meals on Wheels programs rely on federal funding through the Older Americans Act (OAA), which is administered by ACL as part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other sources, such as block grants. These are discretionary funds and are at risk of being impacted by a lapse in funding. A government shutdown of any length may cause disruptions and unnecessary hardship and uncertainty for you and the seniors you serve.”
Meals on Wheels is a great example of how federal tax dollars can create a much bigger impact by engaging volunteers, collecting donations and grants, and preventing people from needing costlier services such as nursing home care. In surveys of local recipients, 84% say Meals on Wheels helps them to live independently and 95% would recommend the meals. For 30%, there would be a shortage of food in the house if it weren’t for the meals.
If the Meals on Wheels program loses federal funding, we will need to cut services and place people on waiting lists. Please join us at the Walkathon today, or donate by visiting our website.
