In 1972, representatives of 11 downtown Fort Worth churches met to form the Association of Central City Ministries to deal with problems in the inner city. They stepped out on faith.
The churches were especially concerned about the welfare of the homebound elderly, and they committed to bring food to those living in Fort Worth. On May 15, 1973, Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County was formed. The population of the city was 404,619.
"It has definitely evolved over the years," said President and CEO Carla Jutson. "We never envisioned it getting this large or providing the level of services that we offer today."
The organization celebrated its 40th anniversary, May 3, at a gala and urged congregations across the area to take a special collection the following Sunday called "Meals On Wheels Pass the Plate."
Meals on Wheels delivers more than food. It also delivers companionship to those who are lonely. There are 4,700 volunteers who deliver meals to homebound residents. "Most of our volunteers develop friendships with the people that they serve and look forward to seeing the clients on their routes each week," Jutson said. "Senior isolation is another big problem, and many of our clients report that their meal-delivery volunteers are the only visitors that they have on a regular basis."
Food for pets is also an issue for the homebound. "Our Companion Pet program was started because an alarming number of our clients were sharing their meals with their beloved pets," said Jutson. "As a result, neither the clients nor their pets were receiving adequate nutrition. Through partnerships with PetSmart, Dog Scouts of America and other caring individuals, these at-risk clients now receive a monthly supplement of dog or cat food. We currently distribute over one ton of pet food each month."
The outreach to churches during the 40th anniversary celebration harkens back to the founding. "That first week, the group fed 25 people. At the time, there was no mission statement. It was just a matter of people of faith coming together to fight senior hunger," said Jutson. "It is really remarkable what can happen when people of faith come together."
The founding congregations were Broadway Baptist, Central Baptist, Greater St. James Baptist, Mount Gilead Baptist, First Christian, First United Methodist, First Presbyterian, Gethsemane Presbyterian, St. Andrew's Episcopal, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Temple Beth-El, which was next door to Broadway at the time.| by Paul K. Harral |
