Supporting a healthy community means more than providing care within the walls of hospitals and clinics. It’s making sure residents are happy, well-nourished and looked after.

Each weekday morning, hospitality staff at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins help prepare hot and cold meals for the day’s deliveries by Meals on Wheels volunteers. More than 75,000 meals are delivered to community members’ homes Monday through Friday, made possible through a 50-plus-year partnership between the hospital and the Fort Collins-based nonprofit organization.

UCHealth Nutrition Managers Karin Vandermerwe and Rebekah Kalra, and Executive Chef Billy Charters, plan the menu each week. They follow recommended guidelines from the Aging American Act and use feedback from Meals on Wheels volunteers as to clients’ likes and dislikes. Clients also get to choose from two hot meal options and upgrade to a larger meal size if needed. There is also a vegetarian option. Since the hospital food service staff prepares the meals, the program can cater to clients’ specific dietary needs by providing options like pureed or easily chewable food.

The Meals on Wheels program in Fort Collins is community-based and because it doesn’t have the expense of owning a kitchen, more people can be helped and served, according to Dan Flanagan, director of hospitality services for UCHealth Northern Colorado.

“It fits right into UCHealth’s mission to improve lives,” he said.

The Fort Collins program serves about 300-350 people daily.

Meals on Wheels Fort Collins is one of about 5,000 community-based Meals on Wheels programs nationally and each has a shared goal to deliver meals to homebound residents. Although supported by the national program through advertising and other non-monetary methods, the local program is funded by local contributions and donations, according to the spokesperson for Meals on Wheels Fort Collins. (Learn how you can contribute here.)

Dr. Nelson Bachus, 92, started getting fresh meals in February 2023 following a suggestion from his sister-in-law.

“It’s convenient, and the food is quite good,” he said. “I frequently eat only a portion of the lunch, so I don’t have to cook much at night.”

Besides delivering nutritious meals, the program provides clients and their families with the peace of mind that someone will stop in at their loved one’s home five days a week. Volunteers will alert appropriate parties — whether with a 911 call or notifying Meals on Wheels — when they feel something is amiss with a client.

Bachus, who returned to his family home to resume independent living after his wife’s passing, said he enjoys the volunteers’ daily visits.

“It’s a nice break in the day,” he said.

Liz Hollowell has volunteered for Meals on Wheels for more than 10 years. She sees Bachus every Monday when she delivers a hot and cold meal to his home. She asks him how he’s doing. They may chat for a bit, and she will often take Bachus’ outgoing mail to his mailbox before she gets into her vehicle to head to the next client’s home.

“I volunteer because I love seeing the clients and checking in with them,” Hollowell said.

Hollowell was the director of hospitality for UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital and joined the Meals on Wheels board in 2013. She retired in 2021 from both positions but still volunteers.

“I have had the same route the whole time,” she said. “We are often the only people they may see in a day, and this program allows many to stay in their own homes.”