Functional kitchen equipment – from giant mixing bowls to walk-in freezers – is key to keeping Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels operations running smoothly.

That’s because staff and volunteers prepare between 800 and 1,000 meals per day in the Richland kitchen, often starting at 6 a.m., to serve seniors at eight dining sites and in their homes. 

So when the kitchen’s dishwasher began failing last year, Meals on Wheels put its first $30,000 installment from a five-year Lamb Weston grant toward a new one, with help from a grant from the Wildhorse Foundation.

The new dishwasher was ordered just in time as the old one broke down, and for two weeks, all hands were on deck doing the dishes.

The funds from Lamb Weston enable Meals on Wheels to make these kinds of quick decisions when faced with an immediate need, said Brandy Hickey, executive director of Senior Life Resources, which operates Meals on Wheels and Home Care Services. Both programs serve the nonprofit’s mission of enhancing the quality of seniors’ lives at home.

The nonprofit is in its second year of funding and already the money has come in handy.

“It keeps us working so that we can continue to serve the meals that are vital to our clients,” Hickey said.

Growing needs

Lamb Weston pledged in 2024 to donate $150,000 over five years to maintain the program’s kitchen, which has been rebranded as the Lamb Weston Kitchen.

A functioning kitchen is key to the program’s success as demand has grown.

Last year saw a 12% increase in both the number of meals and the number of clients served, and 2023 had a 25% increase. This year, 15% to 20% growth is expected, so new purchases like the dishwasher help to meet the growing need Meals on Wheels sees.

The new dishwasher is both bigger and better, helping to support that annual growth with a conveyor belt that’s much more efficient than pushing dishes through by hand. 

Some future uses of the funding from Lamb Weston might be more planned, like the redundant refrigeration system installed this year in the kitchen’s giant walk-in refrigerator. It’s a backup system that will keep the refrigerator running in case it goes out – which has happened before.

That purchase still leaves $14,000 left in this year’s allocation if other needs arise, Hickey said. 

Support from Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston has been supporting Meals on Wheels for years, before Hickey came on as director. 

“They had been supporting us pretty regularly in sponsorships and in food products, and that partnership was built before I came on,” Hickey said. In 2023, she approached the company to ask them to help sustain the kitchen for five years, and it agreed. 

“We’ve witnessed the meaningful impact Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels has had on a community equally important to us,” said Erin Gardiner, president of the Lamb Weston Foundation, in a news release. “We’re pleased to support Meals on Wheels, including the necessary kitchen upgrades to serve 1,000 meals daily, providing nutrition and social connection to seniors in the Tri-Cities.”

Meals on Wheels doesn’t serve Lamb Weston fries due to the dietary regulations the meals follow for seniors, but a Lamb Weston fry truck frequents Senior Life Resources events, like the OktoberFeast, a fun run fundraiser.

While Meals on Wheels does get some federal funding, it still takes an additional $1.8 million – not to mention 575 volunteers – to keep the program running. Most of that money comes from fundraising, as well as from grants and community and individual support.

Having additional funds on hand is important, especially with federal funding freezes as well as state and federal cuts to senior nutrition programs.

“Dollars that come in like Lamb Weston, like this, helps us not have to worry about how we’re going to sustain our program,” Hickey said.

Go to: seniorliferesources.org.