About Us
More than a meal™Our Mission

Our Organization
Founded in 1960, our mission is to enable people to live independently at home through the provision of nutritious meals, personal contact and support services, so that they may age in place with dignity. Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is one of the largest Meals on Wheels programs in the country, serving thousands of people daily with six regional offices throughout central Maryland and a main central location located in the Highlandtown neighborhood of Baltimore City.
With an operating budget of over $10.5 million per year, a team of over 100 staff and more than 1,800 volunteers, MOWCM delivers over 1 million nutritious meals and offers support services to over 3,100 home-bound elderly Marylanders each year.
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is proud to be recognized as a magnet accredited program by the Meals on Wheels Association of America for demonstration of excellence and accountability in home delivered meal programs.
Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our History
Two Baltimore women, Ernestine McCollum and Beatrice Strouse, shared a conviction—nutritious meals for the aging and disabled was a genuine need in the area. Committed to filling that need, in early 1960, they replicated a meal delivery program that originated in London after World War II. On October 3rd that same year, the first 10 Meals on Wheels clients were served a hot meal lovingly prepared and delivered by a handful of dedicated volunteers.
Today, Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is one of the oldest nonprofit, home-delivered meal programs in the country, serving more than 1.3 million meals annually to nearly 3,000 clients.

Our Approach
Our More than a meal™ approach—nutritious meals, personal contact, customized service planning, and safety-net services, is what distinguishes us from other home-delivered meal programs.
Thanks to the sustained commitment of our volunteers, staff, and donors, we are one of the largest Meals on Wheels programs in the country, and one that offers a wide array of support services.
Each day, more than 27 Meals on Wheels vans and 1,800 volunteers hit the road to deliver more than a meal™.
Our Clients
By helping the aging and disabled remain living independently in their homes, Meals on Wheels supports their continued integration into the social fabric of the community, prevents premature institutionalization, and allows them to age in their communities with dignity.
APPLY FOR MEALS >>
Our Equity Statement
Our mission, to keep homebound aging adults, all adults, no matter their race, religion, or sexual orientation, living safely and independently at home for as long as they choose to do so. As we carry out our work each day, we see first-hand the inequities that exist in our community, inequities that have recently become even more visible as a result of the pandemic — inequities in income, housing, access to nutritious food, and proper health care. Through our work, we strive to close the gap created by these inequities.
Read our full statement
Equity Statement
Our mission, to keep homebound aging adults, all adults, no matter their race, religion, or sexual orientation, living safely and independently at home for as long as they choose to do so. As we carry out our work each day, we see first-hand the inequities that exist in our community, inequities that have recently become even more visible as a result of the pandemic — inequities in income, housing, access to nutritious food, and proper health care.
Through our work, we strive to close the gap created by these inequities.
- Our Together in Care partnership programs work to bridge the gap that all too often exists between proper health care and marginalized communities, by working together with local health providers to support transition of care and reduce avoidable hospitalizations with nutrition and housing support, health education and care coordination.
- Our client support and case management teams work to ensure that our clients access all the benefits they are eligible for, in order to increase their economic security.
- Our home repair program ensures that homeowners can maintain and upgrade their homes, modify as necessary, so that they may remain in the home safely, secure its value, maintain their asset and laying the groundwork for generational wealth building.
Our volunteer corps draws from all sectors of society, and we are proud to include special needs community groups to offer their service to their neighbors, offering purposeful work and a mechanism for community contribution, and in turn as research suggests, improving health.
In addition, as an organization, we actively and systematically solicit input from clients, staff, and volunteers to inform our policies and actions. Most recently, an employee initiated a conversation that resulted in our Board approving a policy to include Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
Even as we achieve incremental change in our organization, we endorse the need to address the systems that perpetuate more deeply ingrained inequities. We are committed to this work and to finding creative ways to protect our ability to persevere, as we have through the most challenging of times of the pandemic. We regularly join with our national organization to advocate for continued support of our work and the needs of those we serve, including visiting with state and federal congressional representatives, and testifying before congressional committees.
We are committed to building and nurturing a culture of acceptance, equity and inclusion as we extend our work beyond our clients and volunteers to our employees. Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a fair and equitable salary structure, a livable wage, and access to benefits. Our recruitment and hiring practices are designed to promote diversity in the workplace, leveraging strong partnerships with historically black colleges and universities to help us reach that goal. Our policy to promote from within was developed to give our workforce opportunities for advancement, and a path toward leadership positions.
We are committed to this work and to continuously listening, discussing, learning and evolving, as we embrace the shared humanity among us while also embracing our differences.
Our Impact
%
of our clients believe that our programs and services have made a significant difference in their lives
%
of our clients report that our services have extended the length of time they will be able to live at home
%
of our clients report that our services have improved their nutritional intake
%
of our clients report that Meals on Wheels has decreased their isolation
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Our Services
Two meals, a hot lunch and cold supper, are delivered by a dedicated and caring volunteer between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Our services are available on a long-term or temporary basis, regardless of age or economic status.
Our balanced meals provide two-thirds of the required daily allowance (RDA) of nutrients each day. All meals are low in sodium, fat and concentrated sugar, and are calorie controlled. We also deliver meals that meet the needs of special diets.
Meals on Wheels delivers to residents of Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Montgomery Counties, and select areas of Prince George’s County.
Additional Services:
- Health & Safety Assessment
- Case Management/Care Coordination
- Wellness Checks
- Friendly Companion Visits
- Home Repair & Modification
- Grocery Assistance Program (grocery shoppers)
- Phone Pals
- Kibble Connection pet food delivery
Download our meals informational flyer
Apply Online
If you would like to request Meals on Wheels service, please fill out our online application or for more information, call 410.558.0827.
Contact Us
515 South Haven Street
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 410.558.0827
Fax: 410.558.1321
