Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Our services
Who qualifies for Meals on Wheels?
Individuals who are homebound or otherwise have a difficult time both accessing and preparing their meals. This could be due to physical and/or mental disability, living alone/not having a caregiver to help you with meal preparation, or recovery from a recent surgery that has impacted your mobility and ability to prepare meals.
What’s in a meal?
Our meals contain a hot tray and a cold box. The hot tray contains a protein and two sides, usually a starch and a vegetable. The cold box contains milk, juice, pasta/vegetable salad, a whole wheat roll, and applesauce. The food is purchased from UVA’s hospital caterer, Morrison’s. Our food menu is provided in our Client Handbook sent to all new clients.
How many days a week do you deliver?
We deliver between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and clients who need weekend meals them can receive frozen meals on Friday for weekend use.
When is pet food delivered?
Pet food is delivered every Tuesday to clients signed up to receive it. Clients with cats or dogs are eligible to receive pet food free of charge.
Why do we ask for your monthly income?
The price of our services for Meals on Wheels clients operates on a sliding scale, ranging from 6 dollars per meal at the most for people with the highest monthly income to fully subsidized by Meals on Wheels for people whose monthly income is below 150% of the federal poverty guideline.
Why do we ask for your demographic information?
It is helpful for us to know whether or not the demographic makeup of our client base reflects the demographic makeup of the communities at large who we aim to serve and who need our services. Not only is tracking this information important for our operations, but it is also helpful information for obtaining funding, which we use to continue providing services.
Volunteering with us
How do I become a volunteer?
You can fill out the volunteer application on our website, or if we can mail a paper application to you!
Is Meals on Wheels open on weekends?
Currently, we are only open and delivering on weekdays. However, a number of other Charlottesville nonprofits are! Cville Village offers weekend volunteering opportunities, and Loaves & Fishes offers regular Saturday volunteering opportunities.
Are there options for group volunteering (E.g., church/youth/school groups, office groups)?
Yes, the more the merrier! Delivering routes with friends and family is a great way to spend an hour of your morning. If you’re interested in volunteering in a larger group (4 or more people), please email our volunteer manager, Abbie, at volunteer@cvillemeals.org to discuss further. Depending on the time of the year, we may also have opportunities for groups of volunteers to help us pack birthday or holiday joy bags, which we send out to all our clients.
Can I volunteer with my family/kids?
Yes, we’d love to have the family join us! If there are any minors, we do ask that an adult accompany them.
I can’t drive, but I still want to get involved. Is there a way for me to volunteer?
We also need volunteers to pack food and hand out bags daily. You might also be able to help with one-off jobs such as distributing bonus pantry packs to our delivery drivers, packing birthday bags or holiday joy bags, or helping out at community events!
Does Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle accept volunteers hoping to complete assigned community service hours?
Yes! We are happy to work with volunteers assigned community service hours by a judge. Please contact our Volunteer Manager, Abbie, at volunteer@cvillemeals.org to discuss this further.
When and where do I pick up routes to deliver?
Most routes are picked up from our location at 704 Rose Hill Drive. A parking lot is around the back, and street parking is on Rose Hill Drive and side streets. The entrance is on the lower level of the building through a set of pink double doors. Most routes may be picked up between 10:30 and 11:00 AM.
