OVERLAND PARK, KS – The WellSky Foundation has donated $50,000 to Meals on Wheels America, a national leadership organization supporting more than 5,000 community-based programs across the U.S. that address senior isolation and hunger.

Through this donation, Meals on Wheels America will collaborate with the WellSky Foundation to conduct a pilot research project designed to assist healthcare organizations in supporting older adults, particularly those transitioning from acute care settings and those facing multiple chronic health conditions. This project will explore how partnerships between healthcare organizations and local Meals on Wheels programs can improve senior health outcomes.

This new effort will expand upon earlier efforts by Meals on Wheels America to develop and scale a technology-based process for reporting and addressing changes in the physical or mental condition of people who receive home-delivered meals.

“Meals on Wheels programs provide the nutritious food, vital services, and critical community connections that enable seniors to live safely and independently in their own homes,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Amid the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of our work has become more evident than ever before, as has the need for cross-sector collaboration to expand our capacity and reach to keep more of our nation’s seniors healthy and socially connected. The insights we hope to gain by partnering with the WellSky Foundation in this pilot project will help us to identify additional opportunities to facilitate senior wellness during this public health emergency and beyond.”

Meals on Wheels America and the WellSky Foundation are aligned in their efforts to better understand and address key social determinants of health (SDoH) — including food insecurity and social isolation — to support the overall wellbeing of people in need, particularly older adults. This latest collaboration reflects the WellSky Foundation’s ongoing commitment to helping more seniors safely remain in their homes, regardless of their individual circumstances.

“Meals on Wheels programs’ work is so necessary, and lives depend on them. During this time of incredible uncertainty, seniors who rely on meal delivery need stability and peace of mind that they will continue to receive nutritious food, and Meals on Wheels is making that happen and more,” said Andrea Morgan, executive director of the WellSky Foundation. “With Meals on Wheels America’s facilitation, local programs’ community networks, and the WellSky Foundation’s resources, we’re looking at ways we can work together to make an even greater positive impact on seniors’ health and help them maintain and improve their quality of life.”