Answering the Call

As Thanksgiving approaches, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels is reflecting with gratitude on the many people who came together in recent months to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community: homebound seniors.

Sudden cuts to federal food programs left many older adults frightened about how they would stay fed. Calls to SVMOW captured this fear clearly. Seniors asked, “Will you still be able to bring my meals?”

Because donors, volunteers, the Daughters of Charity, and the attention of local and national media stepped forward, the answer remained yes.

When the scope of these cuts became known, the SVMOW community responded rapidly. Supporters like you helped highlight the growing crisis facing older adults in Los Angeles County — now the fastest-growing group experiencing homelessness — and reinforced the vital role that meals and wellness checks from St. Vincent Meals on Wheels play in helping seniors stay safe in their homes.

Today, SVMOW continues to prepare and deliver more than 3,000 hot meals every day. For many seniors, this remains the only meal — and often the only human contact — they receive. As public resources shrink and requests for help increase, the commitment of SVMOW donors and volunteers makes it possible to keep saying yes.

What stands out in this difficult season is how the circle of care widened. Long-time supporters and new friends alike joined together with a shared purpose: to ensure no senior goes hungry or feels forgotten. Their generosity reflects the Vincentian spirit at the heart of SVMOW — steady, compassionate, and rooted in action.

This Thanksgiving week, gratitude goes first to those who made that response possible. Because of you, thousands of older adults across Los Angeles are receiving not only the meals they rely on, but the stability, connection, and care that help them thrive.