Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois

Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois has partnered with area hospitals and restaurants to provide daily, fresh meal deliveries to the home bound residents of Chicago's North Shore communities including Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette-Kenilworth, Winnetka-Northfield, and Glenview. Meals are picked up by volunteers between 11-11:30 am and delivered on predetermined routes Monday-Saturday.

Volunteers deliver meals once a week or once a month, visit with clients, help with grocery shopping, serve on the Board of Directors, provide office support and take care of our community.

Back in 1968, the CEDA (Community and Economic Development Association) and a group of citizens of Cook County, Illinois noticed that many Evanston seniors were at risk of malnutrition because they were not able to cook or buy their own meals.

This concerned group decided to do something about it, so they approached Sister Mary Alfreda Bracht, Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Hospital. She worked with the hospital’s kitchen to prepare meals that could be delivered to these seniors at home.

Volunteers were recruited, delivery routes were laid out, and Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois was born. The first deliveries went out in October 1968.

Over the years, more residents and counties expressed the need for these prepared meal services. As our service area grew, so did the amount of volunteers we needed. From Wilmette to East Glenview, our momentum just keeps going.

We added our Friendly Visit program in 2002 and our grocery shopping program in 2012 where volunteers shop for our clients.

All in all, ​Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois now delivers in Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Kenilworth, North Chicago, Northbrook, Northfield, Skokie, Waukegan, Wilmette, Winnetka, Winthrop Harbor, and Zion.