About Us

Who are we?

History: Independence Meals on Wheels is a community-based program. It began in 1974, with the Church Women United of Independence being aware of the great need for the Independence community to have a service available that would meet the nutritional needs of individuals who were homebound, handicapped, elderly, those convalescing from a hospital stay and other needy individuals. They began meeting in July 1975 with a steering committee made up of community leaders, the Ministerial Alliance and other concerned citizens to implement a plan. The program was incorporated and became a Not-For-Profit Corporation on September 23, 1975, with its office located in the Trinity Episcopal Church at 409 N Liberty.

Today: The Independence Meals-on-Wheels, Inc. (MOW) office is still located in the Trinity Episcopal Church at 409 N. Liberty Avenue, Independence, Mo. Its mission remains true to the original commitment to provide nutritious hot meals 5-days a week by using dedicated volunteer drivers to deliver meals to those who live within zip codes 64050 thru 64057 within the city limits of Independence Mo, who are elderly, homebound and physically handicapped or with limited ability to prepare meals. Subsidy is available for those whose income falls below the 150% poverty level. Meals can be purchased at a minimal cost. Extra meals can be purchased for evening and weekend meals. Many recipients have limited access to outside contact. Having contact with another person is beneficial to both parties; the recipients have the comfort of knowing that someone will be looking in on them each day and the drivers feel a sense of reward for their efforts.

Partnerships:

Fairmount Community Center, a program of the Northwest Communities Development Corporation: These dedicated volunteers prepare meals for both Independence and Raytown. They provide about 150 meals per day. They have prepared over 200,000 meals over the last 5 years and currently provide almost 40,000 meals per year. They have a YouTube video here if you would like to know more.

Truman Heartland Community Foundation: Independence Meals on Wheels (MOW) has been fortunate to benefit from the generosity of the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. The THCF was established in 1982 and is a respected leader in charitable giving and philanthropy, serving suburban Eastern Jackson, Cass, and Lafayette County communities.

Volunteers: Individuals in the community with a desire to give of their time for volunteer service can deliver the meals Monday through Friday between 10:45am and 12:00pm. Learn more about how you can volunteer on our volunteer page.