Meals On Wheels of Tampa (MOW Tampa) is now providing diabetic and renal menus to homebound recipients in addition to the heart-healthy diet. The meals are freshly prepared daily at the MOW Tampa facility and delivered to the homes of seniors and homebound neighbors in the Greater Tampa area. All menus have been evaluated by a registered dietician to ensure nutritional integrity.
Steve King, MOW Tampa executive director, is very excited about the new menus.
“Our executive chef has really created some great recipes, seasoning them with fresh ingredients, such as garlic and herbs, to enhance flavor while minimizing sodium,” said King. “Our plan is to rotate all the menus every 4-5 months to keep things seasonal.”
The new diabetic menu is carbohydrate monitored. The renal menu has lower sodium, potassium and phosphorus levels and offers a quality source of protein with each meal. All the meals are offered in regular, chopped or pureed form to meet the changing needs of Tampa’s homebound and senior neighbors. When recipients were recently surveyed, the diabetic and renal menus were the most requested additions to the current heart-healthy meals.
MOW Tampa’s home-delivered meal program provides hot, nutritious meals to seniors (ages 62 and over) as well as disabled and homebound individuals who have difficulty shopping for food or preparing meals. Meals provide recipients with improved diet, health and well-being. A volunteer driver delivers a hot meal Monday to Friday. Frozen meals for the weekend are delivered on Friday.
For many of the neighbors served, a visit from a volunteer is the only personal contact they will have that day. This allows for a ‘safety’ check in, which brings comfort and security for them and for their families. MOW Tampa serves from the county lines to the north and west, I-75 to the east, including Riverview and Gibsonton.
MOW Tampa is completely privately funded and is not a government agency. The cost of meal service is determined based on the individual’s circumstances. The full cost of a meal is $5.50. No one is turned away due to financial reasons.
If interested in receiving meals or to learn more about MOW Tampa, please call the office at 813-238-8410 or visit www.mowtampa.org.
