Meals on Wheels

A nutritious diet is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, but that’s not always easy for homebound seniors. Meals on Wheels can bring that nutrition right to your door, regardless of your economic status. 

Service is available to homebound individuals who are 60 years of age or older; who – due to illness or disability – are unable to purchase food or cook meals for themselves; and who do not have someone to purchase food or cook meals for them on a consistent basis.  

Our meals are well-balanced and meet two-thirds of the daily nutritional requirements for seniors. While the meals are not specially designed for persons with diabetes or high blood pressure, they are low in sodium and sugar content. 

Who We Serve

If you do not meet all the qualifications for the Meals on Wheels program, we will connect you to other resources.  

To be eligible for Sourcewise Meals on Wheels, you must meet the following criteria: 

• Be 60 years of age or older 
• Be a resident of Santa Clara County
• Live alone or lives with a spouse who is also homebound 
• Unable to perform two or more activities of daily living or due to a cognitive or other mental impairment, requires human assistance or supervision

Homebound is defined as being:

• Bed-bound and non-ambulatory 
• Wheelchair-bound and living alone 
• Ambulatory, living alone, and unable to leave your home without assistance 
• Alone, able to leave home but has difficulty

Not sure where to begin? Contact our Community Resource Specialists of Sourcewise at (408) 350-3200, option 1. 

Let’s Get Started

Start by speaking with a Sourcewise Meals on Wheels Nutrition Coordinator to complete the initial intake process over the phone in a very simple, confidential format. Within 24-48 hours of the initial intake process, our Sourcewise Nutrition Coordinator can assist you with getting nutrition meals delivered to your door as soon as 5-7 days.

Weekly deliveries include – 5 meals per week that include whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, low-fat milk and supplemental items such as oatmeal, cereal, waffles or pancakes, breakfast pizza, and eggs. The delivery also includes 1% milk, fresh fruit, bread, and either apple or orange juice. Meals arrive frozen so they can be microwaved and enjoyed at the recipient’s convenience. Sourcewise will loan a Meals on Wheels participant a microwave if they do not have one available.

Over the course of a year, we serve special meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and St. Patrick’s Day. Each meal includes a protein, vegetable, starch, milk, juice, and either fruit or dessert.

Our Meals on Wheels program is based on a healthy menu of five meals a week. The weekly delivery includes five meals per week that include whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, low-fat milk, and supplemental items such as oatmeal, cereal, waffles or pancakes, breakfast pizza, and eggs.

The delivery also includes 1% milk, fresh fruit, bread, and either apple or orange juice. The meals have a range of options over the course of the year. Each meal includes a protein, a vegetable, a starch, milk, juice, and fruit or dessert.

We have a fixed menu for each day, and we are unable to accommodate dietary preferences or restrictions. However, we do have prepared menus showing ingredients (including sodium and sugar content) that you and your medical doctor can review before agreeing to enroll in the home-delivered meals program.  

Weekly Meal Deliveries & Scheduling

Home-delivered meals are delivered once per week on the same day between the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Your meals are delivered by route, which is determined by your address, and cannot be altered. In the event of your delivery day coincides with a national holiday, you will be notified of the rescheduled day in advance. You must be available to receive your meals. Drivers will not be able to leave your food outside, as it is against policy. 

If you are unable to be at home when your delivery is scheduled, you may call and arrange to have your meals delivered to a next-door neighbor or have someone receive and sign for your meals. A 48 hour notice is required for any cancellations or holds for that week. If you are not going to be available for an extended period (hospital, vacation, etc.), you may call and place a hold on the delivery for that time-period. If cancellations or holds exceed three continuous weeks, service will be cancelled and reactivated when client is able to receive delivery regularly again.

We cannot risk our clients’ health by leaving uneaten, unrefrigerated food for an unknown period. If you let us know in advance, we will leave your meals with a neighbor, but this is an exception and we will work with you to develop the best plan to handle rare exceptions. 

How We Serve You

Sourcewise is a private, nonprofit agency, and your contributions and donations are greatly appreciated. We encourage a contribution of $3.00 per day or $90 per month. These contributions enable us to serve as many seniors as possible; however, we will never deny meals to someone unable to contribute all or a portion of the suggested contribution.

Each month, the meal delivery driver will provide the Meals on Wheels participant with two pre-addressed, stamped blue envelopes. Do not pay with cash – please send a check or money order payable to ‘Meals on  Wheels’ and mail any contribution you can afford in the envelope. Do not give cash or this envelope to the meal delivery driver.

For more information about the Sourcewise Meals on Wheels program and available meal programs in Santa Clara County, speak with a Community Resource Specialist at (408) 350 – 3200, option 1.

Nutritious Meals & Education

Our Meals on Wheels program is based on a healthy menu of five meals a week. The weekly delivery includes five meals per week that include whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, low-fat milk, and supplemental items such as oatmeal, cereal, waffles or pancakes, breakfast pizza, and eggs. The delivery also includes 1% milk, fresh fruit, bread, and either apple or orange juice.

The meals have a range of options over the course of the year. Each meal includes a protein, a vegetable, a starch, milk, juice, and fruit or dessert. 

We have a fixed menu for each day, and we are unable to accommodate dietary preferences or restrictions. However, we do have prepared menus showing ingredients (including sodium and sugar content) that you and your medical doctor can review before agreeing to enroll in the home-delivered meals program.  

This material was funded by The City of Milpitas and adheres to federal non-discrimination laws in administering its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This includes compliance with Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, or religion in programs and activities receiving CDBG funds .

Contact the California Relay Services (1-800-735-2929) or a TDD number for hearing impaired persons.