Thanks to our sponsors for Meals On Wheels!

Meals on Wheels rolled into Springfield in May 1972 to serve 12 older people. Two weeks later, a route was developed to serve Eugene residents. Meals on Wheels was started as a pilot project operated by the Lane County Chapter of the American Red Cross with funding provided through the Federal Older American Act. Both the American Red Cross and Lane Council of Governments added Meals on Wheels routes steadily throughout the county during the 1970s.

Today, each agency works in specific geographic territories. Red Cross provides the majority of the service in Eugene, and some of Springfield. 

Last year, Meals on Wheels served over 76,000 meals to approximately 300 seniors, disabled adults, and frail elderly in Eugene and Springfield.  We could not provide this service without our more than 130 dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers who help deliver meals.

New Alternative:
Red Cross is offering an alternative program for persons of all ages who are homebound and need a meal delivered. We serve rural areas such as Alvadore, Cheshire, Dexter, Lowell, Pleasant Hill and Goshen. The cost is $8.00 per meal.
Call (541) 344-5244 for more information.

Meals on Wheels is:

Hot, nutritious lunches.
Regular contact with someone who cares.
Designed for adults who have long or short term need for meals delivered.
Help during recovery or for those who need help preparing meals.

Meals are Available to:

Persons 60 and older who are homebound and need help with meal preparation. Subsidized meals are available as funding and capacity to deliver permit.

Home-bound adults or adults with disabilities who need help with meal preparation and who meet eligibility criteria or are willing to pay the whole cost of the meal.

Meal Choices:

Each hot or frozen meal contains a minimum of one-third of the recommended daily allowance of required nutrients.

Contributions help serve more meals:

Give a tax-deductible gift,
Make a memorial contribution in memory of a loved one, or
Send a gift in honor of a friend or relative.

Volunter Opportunities

Volunteer Requirements

Dedicated volunteers work side-by-side on a daily basis to give the gift of a noon-time meal to seniors in Eugene and Springfield each year. These daily visits, which also double as a security check, are sometimes the only visit some participants get all day.

These meals are prepared at a central kitchen and are then delivered by Red Cross volunteers Monday through Friday.