Mission Statement:

Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is guided by the belief that a person's health reflects the nurturing of the whole person body, mind and spirit.  Our programs are dedicated to promoting the physical, social, and personal well-being and independence of seniors, homebound frail elderly and disabled adults on the Monterey Peninsula.  Programs and services enable people to enjoy good health and the highest quality of living as long as possible.    

History:

In the early 1970's Sally Judd Griffin, founder of Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula (MOWMP), worked as a volunteer helping frail, older people. Through her volunteer work, she saw malnutrition as a hidden cause of failing health in older people who lived in institutions and alone at home. She would accept a phone call late in the day from someone needing food, and Sally would make a meal and deliver it herself. That's how it began: one person's big heart and ample energy inspired others who began to volunteer to assist her. Two years later her passion and concerns led to the incorporation of Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula.

Since the early 1970's, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula has been providing nutritious, home-delivered meals to residents who are unable to shop or unable to cook for themselves. The program has grown in response to the increasing senior population in our community. Today, it also includes service to non-seniors who are recuperating from hospitalization or others who have a disability.

Originally, the home delivered meals were cooked each day from scratch in the basement kitchen of a church and subsequently at Carpenter's Hall in New Monterey. In the early 1980's the City of Pacific Grove offered land for a new facility near Lovers Point. A Capital Campaign began under the leadership of volunteer and board member, Michael Albov. They started with a matching grant of $100,000 and eventually raised over $1,000,000, along with donated help for architecture, landscaping and in-kind equipment donations. The new facility was completed in 1986 and was named the Sally Griffin Center in honor of its dedicated founder.

Although the name 'Meals on Wheels' is used by similar agencies across the United States; Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is not affiliated with any other agency, nor with any national or regional governing body. It is a self-sustaining, independent organization that raises and keeps all funds locally.