Valley Meals on Wheels wins countywide contract

After providing hot meals to seniors in the Spokane Valley for the past 35 years, Valley Meals on Wheels has been awarded the contract with Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington to provide meals at senior centers and home delivered meals throughout all of Spokane County.

Pam Almeida, executive director of Valley Meals on Wheels, said hot meal recipients in the county should not notice any change in services with this new contract. For the last 30 years the Spokane Regional Health District has been distributing the funds allocated by Aging and Long Term Care from the Federal Older American’s Act and the State Senior Citizens Services Act. Almeida said that the contract with Valley Meals on Wheels eliminates a level of management with the funds.

“This is really an attempt to work smarter,” Almeida said in a press release. “In this day of budget cuts, we must find the most efficient way to serve the people in our community.”

Valley Meals on Wheels will now receive about $646,000 for meals per year, plus another $12,000 for transportation. The meals are prepared in the organization’s 3,000-square-foot kitchen at 218 N. Crestline St., and will be distributed to both Valley clients and those of Mid-City Concerns.

“Everything will remain the same,” said Mollie Dalpae, executive director of Mid-City Concerns, regarding their services to their clients. Dalpae added that the two organizations have a great relationship with each other and she doesn’t expect any changes in services.

Almeida said the organization will now provide about 650 to 700 hot meals a day, providing a third of the daily recommended nutrition to its clients. Home delivery recipients get a hot meal every Monday through Friday, plus some frozen meals for the weekends.

“It’s just a very exciting thing,” Almeida said. “We’ll double our size.”

Almeida said the organization recently saw a $25,000 cut from the Senior Citizens Service Act of Washington.

“If we hadn’t had (the new) contract, (we might have seen) a cut in services,” Almeida said.