Meals on Wheels celebrates 40 years of service

By Libby James
North Forty News

Mary Nittmann was ready to give up. As director of Meals on Wheels, a new nonprofit in Fort Collins in 1969, she had a serious problem.

No restaurant in town was willing to take on the task of preparing meals for the organization. Poudre Valley Hospital said no; Colorado State University said no. In a last-ditch attempt, Nittmann approached the Elks Club, and it agreed to provide a noon meal for a dollar each for a small group of home-bound clients.

That was the last time Nittmann ever felt a moment of discouragement in her job. Until Valerie DiBenedetto took over as director in 2005, Nittmann guided the agency through an increase in volunteers from 25 to 200 and from meals delivered each day from 15 to as many as 200.

Today Nittmann works part-time as a program coordinator. Along with fellow coordinator Jennifer Wells and DiBenedetto, the three make up the entire paid staff of Meals on Wheels. Three times a week Nittmann supervises meal distribution at Poudre Valley Hospital, answers volunteer questions and makes sure all drivers set out on their delivery routes on time.

Today Nittmann works part-time as a program coordinator. Along with fellow coordinator Jennifer Wells and DiBenedetto, the three make up the entire paid staff of Meals on Wheels. Three times a week Nittmann supervises meal distribution at Poudre Valley Hospital, answers volunteer questions and makes sure all drivers set out on their delivery routes on time.

Asked why she still works for Meals on Wheels after nearly 40 years, Nittmann said the job brings her great rewards. "It fulfills my wish to help the community," she said. "Never once have I wished I could have a different job."

DiBenedetto said she feels the same way, adding that Nittmann provided for a seamless transition when she came on board. The new director comes to her position with a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies and a master's degree in gerontology. She also has experience with Lifelines and as a senior employment counselor.

"Mary's long-time connections with the volunteers are invaluable," DiBenedetto said. "One couple has been delivering meals for 35 years. Several others have been delivering for 20 years, and Mary knows them all."

Carrying containers filled with nutritious hot meals prepared at the Poudre Valley Hospital kitchen, each volunteer delivers to five or six homebound clients within an hour. At every home, the volunteer rings the doorbell and makes face-to-face contact, an aspect of the program that has become significant. If no one answers the door, the volunteer reports to the Meals on Wheels office and a contact is called.

Nittmann said several lives have been saved over the years. She remembers contacting the relative of a diabetic who had fallen into a coma on a Friday. Next morning the man called Nittmann from the hospital to thank her for saving his life.

A small agency as nonprofits go, Meals on Wheels operates with an annual budget of $250,000, receiving funds from local individuals and businesses and United Way. For the last two years Meals on Wheels received a Daniels Fund grant, this year amounting to $23,334. The Anschutz Family Foundation has provided a challenge grant of $7,500 to match funds raised locally by April 2009. Unlike many area Meals on Wheels agencies, the Fort Collins organization has chosen not to accept federal funding, which allows for more flexibility in decision-making.

DiBenedetto knows the community is solidly behind Meals on Wheels. Trinity Lutheran Church provides low-rent office space; Poudre Valley Hospital prepares the meals and provides at least half of meal costs. Other area agencies have their own kitchens where meals are prepared, necessitating a much larger budget.

Private donors and businesses have remained loyal through the years. "If we ever got into big financial trouble, I'm confident this community would come through," the director said.

In a short time after its founding, Meals on Wheels outgrew the Elks Club and by then Poudre Valley Hospital had a large enough kitchen to accommodate the program. The hospital has been providing meals for 30 years.

"It's a perfect fit," DiBenedetto said. "Nutritionists and dietitians are available to provide meals for people on special diets. It's preventive health care. It helps people stay in their own homes and also provides temporary help for those recovering from surgery or illness that limits their mobility."

Meals on Wheels began in the United Kingdom in the 1920s and was brought to Philadelphia in the 1950s by a tourist who admired the program. Loveland-Berthoud was the first Meals on Wheels west of the Mississippi River, preceding the Fort Collins agency by a year. A few hundred dollars from Volunteers Clearing House (now Education and Life Training Center) and a donated answering service helped get the local agency off the ground, and until 2005, Nittmann ran the operation out of her home.

Most Meals on Wheels clients are referred by health-care providers, but individuals are welcome to complete a brief application. Most are 70 and older, but there are no age limits. Last year, 20 percent of clients were in their 90s. Clients receive meals five days a week, including weekday holidays.

A local Albertson's store gives customers the opportunity to donate and then provides fresh bread for clients, usually delivered on Saturdays by occasional volunteers, often Colorado State University students.

"Volunteers do lots of things I'm never told about," DiBenedetto said. "But I do know that one lady provides flowers from her garden in the summer and at Christmas time donated a dozen poinsettia plants. Others remember clients' birthdays with special treats or invite clients to dinner in their homes. Over the years, the relationships build."

Last summer, DiBenedetto became concerned when gas prices rose. She knew that some area agencies were losing volunteers. When she checked with local volunteers, who provide their own gas, everyone told her not to worry. She didn't lose a single one.

"This is a job where I can't go through the day being grumpy," DiBenedetto said. "Impossible."