Hundreds on waiting list for Meals on Wheels program

Imagine being on a waiting list just to get dinner.

That's the real world for hundreds of people in Seminole County who rely on the Meals on Wheels program to eat.

Delano Lambertclare, the head chef at Meals on Wheels, knows how to turn a simple recipe into something special.

"We do roughly between 3 to 4,000 meals a day breakfast, lunch, snack," said Lambertclare.

He makes every meal with love, but it's the amount of meals the program can hardly keep up with.

"We’ve had over 300 seniors on a waiting list, just for home delivery meals alone," said Sherry Fincher, the program’s executive director.

Five years ago in Seminole County, there were just 25 people on the waiting list. Now it's 12 times that number.

"It’s difficult and we just have to be honest about it,” Fincher said. “Because there is a waiting list and we do serve those with the highest needs first."

The chef said they are always trying to cut costs so they can make more food, but it's still not enough.

"If you cook everything from scratch, it cuts the cost,” Lambertclare said. “You're not only giving them a better meal, but it's cheaper."

Making appetizing and nutritious meals on a tight budget isn't easy.

However, turning people away is even harder.

So Meals on Wheels will keep going, trying not to focus on the people they can't feed, but the people they can.

Seminole County Meals on Wheels is hoping for big results from its annual gala next month.

Called “A Night to Remember,” the dinner and dancing event comes with a silent auction, door prizes and dance exhibition to benefit the Seminole County Meals on Wheels program.

It will be held Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Holy Trinity Reception Center in Maitland.

This semi-formal affair will kick off at 6 p.m. and is $100 a person.

For more information, contact:
Hugo Hernandez
(407) 333-8877 ext. 112
E-mail: gala@mealsetc.org