Our Story
What began as a small Spokane Valley youth group project in 1975 has become Greater Spokane County (GSC) Meals on Wheels, now serving over 20,000 meals each month to isolated and food insecure seniors throughout the entire 1,800 square miles of Spokane County.
A Meal Worth Serving
We believe in the power of a meal worth serving as well as the joy and dignity that it brings. As such, all of our food is prepared fresh in our local kitchen each morning. Each meal provides a minimum 33 and ⅓ percent of the dietary intakes established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. In partnership with local organizations, we provide fresh fruit and vegetables when available. You’ll even find us delivering a warm meal and a smile on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. We also offer seniors support for state-sponsored food programs.
More Than A Meal
For many of our seniors, not only is the meal that we deliver the only meal they may eat that day, but the volunteer who delivers is in many cases the only human contact that senior will have on that day. Our face-to-face delivery provides a daily wellness check on the senior. Our delivery and routing software allows volunteers to report back real-time data on the health and status of our clients, allowing for early intervention and peace of mind for the families of those we serve. We believe not just in supporting seniors with regular meals but also in providing a crucial social support network.
Meet Our Seniors
Pandemic Challenges
A Vision for a Healthy Future
Over the next decade, Spokane County will witness a large demographic explosion in the senior population. We are committed to pursuing the partnerships, processes, and capacity to serve this generation with dignity. We recognize that our seniors may find themselves in a season of life where they need a little help, but we must never forget that this is only after a lifetime and a generation of them serving the rest of us. GSC Meals on Wheels invites you to join us in our pursuit and ensure every senior experiences the joy of a meal in each day to come.
As of 2018, one in six people in Spokane County were 65+
Washington State statistics tell us that 23% of seniors live alone.
In Spokane county, we can estimate 19,200 isolated and food-insecure seniors.
These seniors rely on the nutrition and human contact that only Meals on Wheels can provide.
Each year, GSC Meals on Wheels distributes 260,000+ meals.
We spend $0.91 out of every private donor dollar providing meals to seniors in our area.
We aim to include at least 33.3% of recommended daily dietary intakes.
We cover all 1,800 square miles of Spokane County in our deliveries.
We aim to change the lives of Seniors in Spokane County, one meal at a time!
Inspired to Help Us Reach More of Our Seniors?
Unprecedented Accountability and Stewardship
Our mission is made possible by the generous support of local donors and partnerships with both public and private agencies. Through our partnership with Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington, we are able to provide both home delivered meals throughout the county as well as congregate group dining at 12 locations throughout Spokane County.
Because of this public/private partnership, Greater Spokane County Meals on Wheels is able to take $0.91 cents of every private donor dollar and put it directly to the mission and the meals as opposed to overhead. We believe in unprecedented accountability to our funders and excellent stewardship of all funds received.
Meet Our Leadership
Delana Combs
Executive Director
Bri Rice
Nutrition & Health Services Manager
Char Chambliss
Home Delivered Program Manager
Steve Yunk
Congregate Program Manager
Bruce Bowcut
Business and Finance Manager
Jerri Horton
Senior Nutrition Program Director
Board of Directors
Chris Thosath, President
Jamie Albertini, Vice President
Stacey Spohr, Treasurer
Joan Kilian, Secretary
Bruce Andre
Alan Curryer
Mark Henry
Tyler Lloyd
Grant Person
Helen Schmidt, M.D.
Mark Strahl
Ty Strahl
Rick Waldt