Over 12,000,000 Meals Served Through
Home-delivered Meals Program! | |
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We celebrated another huge milestone last month: our 12 millionth Home-delivered meal was served! On Thursday, June 20, 2024, Sara G., a long-time resident of Manatee County was thrilled to receive the meal and appreciates the vital nutrition provided by Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.
Meals on Wheels of Manatee was initially founded in 1972 to provide food to the elderly and disabled residents of Manatee County. Since its founding, the program has grown to include additional programs that focus on providing access to nutrition and companionship. Known today as Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, the PLUS programs include: Home-delivered Meals, The Food Bank of Manatee, Daybreak Adult Day Center, and Friendship Dining Centers.
Maribeth Phillips, President & CEO since 2012, said, “I am so proud of our amazing volunteers, donors, and staff who work tirelessly to feed thousands in need of food in our community each day. We are thrilled to reach our milestone twelve-millionth delivered meal and thank everyone in our community who has helped us feed and care for our friends and neighbors in need.”
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Hurricane Season Preparations | |
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Forecasters are predicting a very active Hurricane season.To ensure our senior clients are prepared, we provide shelf-stable meals that are ready-to-eat, even if power is lost during a storm. Our staff and volunteers also deliver Hurricane Preparedness guides from Manatee County Government highlighting evacuation routes and planning checklists.
Did you know when a storm has the potential to impact our area, our staff call each and every client? We call them to make sure they know of the potential danger and to ensure they have their shelf stable meals available. Some clients without radios and televisions learn about the potential for the storm from our calls. Our goal is to make sure our clients are safe and cared for, both before and after the storm!
The best time to plan for a storm is now! For more information from Manatee County on creating a disaster plan, click here.
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Food4Families in High Demand! | |
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Weekly Food4Families Food Distributions began on May 31st and will continue each Friday through the months of June and July. During the first week of distribution, we saw a 42% increase in people coming to receive food over the same time period last year. We are still in need of funding for this critical program. If you can help meet this urgent need to provide food to children this summer, please click here to donate.
If you or someone you know is in need of food, please visit one of our distribution sites. Locations are listed in the "Events" section below.
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On Friday, June 14th, our friends at Nate's Honor Animal Rescue came to visit Daybreak Adult Day Center with a sweet and energetic black puppy. Pet therapy has been shown to decrease stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depression in seniors*. As you can see from the photos, the puppy enjoyed his visit as much as our clients did!
Daybreak Adult Day Center provides respite care for Manatee County residents who can't be left alone while a loved one works or attends to other responsibilities. Clients enjoy arts and crafts, games, BINGO, armchair travel, and chair exercises while building friendships and learning new things. To learn more about our respite care program at Daybreak Adult Day Center, click here.
*https://keystone.health/pet-therapy-geriatric-benefits#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20decreasing%20stress,fatigue%2C%20loneliness%2C%20and%20isolation.
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A Visit to Morocco Through Our
Armchair Travel Program! | |
Our Friendship Dining program clients headed to Morocco through our fan-favorite armchair travel program! Through this fun, interactive experience, clients in our senior programs learn about a new country and enjoy food and customs from that country. For their "trip" to Morocco, clients created these amazing toucan drawings using aluminum foil and Sharpie markers! Participants also enjoyed a hot, nutritious meal- a staple at every gathering. | |
The Friendship Dining program is a great opportunity for the people of the community to connect, engage in fun activities, participate in new experiences, and enjoy a nutritious meal. This program is growing and we are always looking for new friends to join! Participants must register for program. If you are interested in learning more about this, or any of our Friendship Dining locations, please call 941-747-4655. | |
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We are proud to announce that our strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, the organization has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 11 million donors annually.
Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for the Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons.
“We are delighted to provide Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Meals on Wheels PLUS is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”
“Our Four-Star Charity Navigator is further validation that our supporters can trust our commitment to good governance and financial health,” said Maribeth Phillips, President & CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee. “We hope that it will introduce our work to new supporters who can help us advance our mission to provide nutrition and caring, supportive services to those in need,” she added.
Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee’s rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on charitynavigator.org.
Those interested in supporting Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee can make donations online at www.MealsOnWheelsPLUS.org/donate or by mail to 811 23rd Ave. East, Bradenton, FL 34208.
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Current & Upcoming Events: | |
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Join Us for Our Next Cooking for Charity Event!
Join us on Thursday, July 18th from 5:30pm-8:00pm as Chef Kymberli Lample will be in the kitchen preparing delicious food!
Born and raised in Bradenton, Chef Kymberli Lample, affectionately known as “The Chefette SRQ,” infuses her hometown pride and community spirit into every dish she creates. Her strong ties to Bradenton inspire her commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and crafting personalized, high-quality meals. Chef Kymberli’s expertise extends to catering to various dietary needs, ensuring an exceptional and unforgettable dining experience.
Tickets are $50 per person if purchased before 07/08/2024; $60 per person after; ticket sales close 07/15/2024.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
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Host a food drive in your office or neighborhood!
Make it a “Cereal-ously" fun competition!
During the summer months, many children who rely on school meals for their daily nutrition face food insecurity. Please help our children this summer by donating cereal!
Drop off your non-perishable food items at all Manatee County Goodwill locations, Manatee County Public Library locations, the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Lakewood Ranch Office, or anywhere you see yellow Food Bank of Manatee donation barrels. Donations can also be dropped off at:
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Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee
811 23rd Ave. East
Bradenton, FL 34208
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Daybreak Adult Day Center
10920 State Road 70 E
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
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Food4Families Summer Distribution
On Fridays during the summer months, The Food Bank of Manatee, a PLUS program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, provides Food4Families bags at summer Break Spots to families in need of vital nutrition. These bags contain breakfast, lunch, and dinner to feed a family of five for two or more days.
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The Food Bank of Manatee distributes at the below locations
Every Friday, through July 26.
Manatee Mobile Home Park
11:00am-12:00pm
2204 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton, FL 34208
Turner Chapel
12:00pm-1:00pm
317 11th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221
Pride Park
1:00pm-2:00pm
6032 9th St East, Bradenton, FL 34203
Lincoln Park
1:30pm-2:30pm
501 17th Street East, Palmetto, FL 34221
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Medical Equipment Lending Closet
Consider donating any gently used medical equipment and supplies to the Durable Medical Equipment Lending Closet. Our clients are often referred to this Manatee County program to borrow wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches, and more. For more information and to see the types of equipment needed, visit the Medical Equipment Lending Closet page.
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Donor Spotlight: Lazy Lobster Celebrates Thanksgiving in June to Support
The Food Bank of Manatee | |
Our friends at Kacey's Seafood & More and The Lazy Lobster held a fun-tastic event at the end of June to benefit Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee! This special "Thanksgiving in June" themed event brought guests to the tables and patrons who brought five non-perishable food items for The Food Bank of Manatee, a PLUS program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, received a $10 gift certificate to Kacey's or Lazy Lobster to use on their next visit! That's thinking outside the menu to raise support for a great cause! | |
Community Spotlight: Lakewood Ranch
Community Activities | |
Staff and volunteers of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee proudly marched in the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Tribute to Heroes Parade held on May 26th on Lakewood Ranch Mainstreet. We were honored to be asked to participate! | |
Volunteer Spotlight: Woodland
Community Church | |
Thanks to the groups from Woodland Community Church for helping to pack food bags for our Food4Families distributions and for painting bowls for our upcoming Empty Bowls event in November. We are grateful for the time and talent you dedicated to help with these important projects! | |
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Happy Independence Day!
On July 4th, our offices will be closed. Wishing all our readers a happy and safe Independence Day celebration.
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Food Distribution Programs |July 2024 | |
If you are a senior needing meals delivered to your home, we can help! Our Home-delivered Meal program is available to Manatee County residents. | |
The Food Bank of Manatee, a PLUS program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, provides non-perishable food items to local food pantries and soup kitchens. | |
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Our Mobile Produce Pantry will be out and about in the community providing fresh and nutritious produce free of charge.
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Thanks to our 2024 Sponsors! | | | | |
