Debi Bradway, LOMOW Board Chair, and other board members presented $40,897 reimbursement check to LO Mayor Joe Buck.
In June 2022, in the City Council chambers, our LOMOW Board presented a check to the City of Lake Oswego to reimburse the net deficit incurred by the City’s funding of the Meals on Wheels program for 2021.
Lake Oswego is one of only a few cities to have its own Meals on Wheels program which is funded from the city’s general fund. The LO Meals on Wheels all-volunteer Advisory Board then holds a variety of fundraisers throughout the year in order to reimburse the city. Since costs are increasing regularly and no resident is denied service due to inability to pay, Lake Oswego Meals on Wheels relies heavily on donations to keep the highly successful program thriving. This year the Advisory Board presented a check for the full amount of the deficit.
As LOMOW Board Chair Debi Bradway explained in her remarks, the mission of the volunteer Lake Oswego Meal Network Advisory Board is to support the Lake Oswego Meals program in the following ways:
- fundraising;
- program management feedback to the City
- community outreach efforts designed to promote involvement, awareness, and support.
She added that, “People always wonder if there is a need in Lake Oswego for a meals program. The answer is YES. For the last couple of years 45% of our clients paid little to nothing toward their lunches.”
In addition, LO Meals on Wheels provides a hot meal to senior and disabled residents who could not otherwise shop for and prepare one or themselves. Not to mention someone to provide a friendly smile and check on their well being.