History of Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels
Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels is an independent, volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of senior, disabled and/or homebound residents of the city of Santa Barbara. The organization has served the community since 1971. Madeline Blickley and Lilla Burgess, two local volunteers who were among those seeing the need for such a program, started it. Five years later, Leanna Miller was hired as the part-time program administrator and her 45 years of dedicated service contributed to the program's success. Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels serves 360 unique clients, with typically 150 clients on any given day. Our volunteer drivers delivered 51,529 meals in 2023.
The meals are prepared daily in the kitchen of the Valle Verde Retirement Community, under contract to Meals on Wheels, for delivery by caring Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers. Every morning, weekends and holidays included, these drivers pick up the fresh, hot meals and deliver them promptly to each client's door around lunchtime. Each hearty meal includes an entrée, a starch, vegetable side dishes, soup, salad or cut fresh fruit, dessert, and a small carton of milk. For clients with special needs, such as diabetics, those with kidney problems or individuals with chewing difficulties, Meals on Wheels works with Valle Verde to meet those needs.
With the exception of a part-time volunteer coordinator and a part-time office assistant, Santa Barbara Meals On Wheels is an all-volunteer organization. Some 90 drivers each donate two-to-three hours a week to deliver meals to clients. Some donate more and many of them have been doing this for years. The volunteer Board of Directors is composed of local residents, most of whom also deliver meals. In addition to establishing administrative and fiscal policies, members of the Board fill a variety of roles that most organizations have paid staff for. Though the program operates frugally, the operating expenses significantly exceed the client payments for the meals. The difference is made up by annual grants from private foundations and charitable trusts, annual grants from Santa Barbara County, and gifts from businesses and individuals.
The meals are prepared daily in the kitchen of the Valle Verde Retirement Community, under contract to Meals on Wheels, for delivery by caring Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers. Every morning, weekends and holidays included, these drivers pick up the fresh, hot meals and deliver them promptly to each client's door around lunchtime. Each hearty meal includes an entrée, a starch, vegetable side dishes, soup, salad or cut fresh fruit, dessert, and a small carton of milk. For clients with special needs, such as diabetics, those with kidney problems or individuals with chewing difficulties, Meals on Wheels works with Valle Verde to meet those needs.
With the exception of a part-time volunteer coordinator and a part-time office assistant, Santa Barbara Meals On Wheels is an all-volunteer organization. Some 90 drivers each donate two-to-three hours a week to deliver meals to clients. Some donate more and many of them have been doing this for years. The volunteer Board of Directors is composed of local residents, most of whom also deliver meals. In addition to establishing administrative and fiscal policies, members of the Board fill a variety of roles that most organizations have paid staff for. Though the program operates frugally, the operating expenses significantly exceed the client payments for the meals. The difference is made up by annual grants from private foundations and charitable trusts, annual grants from Santa Barbara County, and gifts from businesses and individuals.
