Mollie’s Meals, a home-delivered meals program run by the Jewish Association on Aging (JAA), has hired a full-time driver for its new refrigerated meal delivery van, thanks to grant funding from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF).
The hire is part of a broader initiative launched earlier this year to strengthen the region’s home-delivered meals infrastructure by improving efficiency, expanding capacity, and enhancing support for homebound older adults. While JHF funded the driver position, a separate donor provided the refrigerated van now being outfitted with shelving and cooling equipment for safe transport.
The van is expected to go into service early in the new year. Program leaders say the combination of a dedicated driver and a purpose-built vehicle will improve meal quality, increase delivery capacity and home monitoring, and better meet the needs of vulnerable older adults who depend on regular nutrition and connection.
“The Jewish Association on Aging is grateful for this generous and timely support from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. With the new driver position funded by JHF and newly purchased Mollie’s Meals van, supported by a generous funder, we will expand our service region and make home-delivered meals accessible for more homebound seniors in need. We recognize that food insecurity is a growing community concern today, and this support helps us reach as many seniors as possible during this time of great need,” said Mary Anne Foley, RN, MSN, JAA President and CEO.
This year, JHF has launched an initiative this year to update its 30-year-old study Home Delivered Meals Services for the Elderly: Planning for the Next Century with the goal of reimagining how meals are delivered to older adults in ways that support, not replace, the existing network of trusted providers. JHF’s planning process will engage partners from the aging, technology, health, and food sectors to identify best practices nationwide and strengthen personalized, connected programs for the next generation.
