The Meals on Wheels program provides seniors with home deliveries of nutritious, hot and frozen meals. In addition to the meals, homebound seniors also receive an often much-needed visit by a caring volunteer. Over 500 seniors county wide are enrolled in the MOW program.

In addition to that program, hot meals are served to all seniors at six community centers. Nutritionists plan the menus. Meals consist of an entrée with vegetables and fruit and are prepared at The Friendship Kitchens in The Woodlands. Volunteers – individuals, churches and businesses – begin picking up hot meals from the centers at 10:30 AM, and then head out on their routes for delivery.

Meals are delivered to seniors either daily or weekly, depending on where they live. If it’s a weekly delivery, enough food for five days is delivered frozen. Meals if requested, frozen are provided for Saturdays and Sundays. One volunteer said, “I usually deliver about 15 meals each Friday to people living near The Woodlands, and it takes me about an hour to complete my route."

To qualify for the Meals on Wheels program, a person must be 60 years of age or older, live in Montgomery County and have a physical impairment that makes the simple task of daily living a challenge. Seniors don’t have to be bedridden, but generally are homebound.

The applicants are pre-screened, and they are visited in their homes to see what special needs they might have. Many seniors live alone, and for most, the weekly visit from the MOW volunteer is almost more important to them than the meal.

The center receives funds from the United Way, the Houston-Galveston Area Agency Council on Aging, city, county,and government grants and donations. The Center’s goal is to never turn any senior away, for financial reasons. Participants are encouraged to contribute donations for the services and programs, but are not obliged.

The Friendship Center Is In Need Of Meals-on-Wheels Volunteers

The Friendship Center is in need of Meals-on-Wheels volunteers to drive routes and deliver meals to home-bound seniors on a regular and substitute basis.  We currently have wait lists of homebound seniors in need of meals in many of our communities.  By volunteering time to deliver meals, you will allow these wait-listed seniors the opportunity to be included in our program.  

Being a Meals-on-Wheels driver allows you to give back to the community, and ensure the senior community is well taken care of.  Seniors that are eligible for the Meals-on-Wheels program are homebound, and are unable to perform routine tasks such as grocery shopping or extensive food preparation.  Meals-on-Wheels volunteers use their own vehicles to deliver hot, nutritious meals from The Friendship Kitchen to homebound seniors and, at the same time, check on their well-being.  A Meals-on-Wheels volunteer may be the only person the senior sees all day.  We have extremely flexible scheduling, and this would be a great group project.  To be a part of this important volunteer program, contact Carmen Pellettieri @ 936-756-5828 ext. 43.  

The Friendship Center is a 501 (c)3 non-profit agency in operation since 1973.  Our mission is to enrich and promote the social, physical, mental, educational and cultural well being of Seniors of Montgomery County.  Our core programs include Senior Dining for meals and fellowship; Meals on Wheels delivered to homebound seniors; Transportation Services to medical appointments, shopping and errands, and senior activities for entertainment, exercise, and outings, as well as counseling and case management.

The Friendship Center’s main office is located in Conroe at 1202 Callahan, between N. Frazier Street and I-45..  Other centers are located throughout Montgomery County, including The Woodlands at 2235 Lake Robbins Drive; New Caney at A.V. Sallas County Park at McClesky Road; Montgomery at FM 149 and Liberty Road; and Magnolia in the West County Community Development Building on Industrial Park Lane, and Willis in the new CDBG Community Center at 600 Gerald St.,