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Meals on Wheels helps vaccinate homebound seniors and residents

Meals on Wheels
Posted at 7:03 PM, Mar 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-24 23:56:03-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new partnership in the Kansas City metro is ensuring homebound residents, who are at high-risk, receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

During the month of March, KC Shepherd's Center (KCSC) teamed up with Kansas City Hospice and Truman Medical Centers to administer doses to residents who were unable to go to a vaccination clinic.

They’ve since inoculated more than 100 people.

“The number of homebound adults that we serve are the ones still having difficulty getting vaccines because they are not mobile,” KCSC Executive Director Janet Baker said. “We have clients for our Meals on Wheels program who literally live in hospital beds in their living rooms.”

KCSC supervises the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers warm meals to senior or homebound residents.

During the pandemic, the program did not stop. But according to Baker, the needs did. Residents needed toilet paper and other essential items in addition to the warm meals, so KCSC delivered.

“COVID has made it even more difficult to serve them but even more important,” Baker said.

In addition to vaccinating residents, Meals on Wheels' volunteers also received the vaccine.

Sibley Frye has volunteered with the program since 2000. During the pandemic, she only left her house to deliver the warm meals.

“When the pandemic first started, I was leery,” Frye said. “I definitely didn’t want to give it to anyone I delivered to.”

Frye and other vaccinated volunteers still deliver food wearing masks while social distancing.

Those who would like help receiving the vaccine can call KCSC at 816-444-1121.