Category: Blog

Farmers Market Vouchers
We have distributed all of our allocated Farmers Market vouchers for the season. In addition, our waitlist has reached maximum capacity, so we are no longer accepting new applications for vouchers.
We sincerely apologize to those who were unable to receive this benefit this year and appreciate your understanding. We encourage you to watch for announcements next season when vouchers become available again.
Volunteers Needed
We have several volunteer opportunities available and would love to welcome new members to our team! If you know someone who is interested in making a difference in the lives of local seniors, please have them contact Janine at 509-736-0032 or email volunteer@gencare.org.
Our greatest current needs include:
Transporter – Assist with packaging daily meals, loading and unloading the cargo van, and transporting meals from our central kitchen to one of our dining sites.
Kennewick Dining Site Servers – Help serve the daily meal to participants at our Kennewick Dining Center.
Breakfast Servers- Help serve breakfast at our Fowler St. Café on Wednesdays and/or Fridays from 7:45am to 10:30am.
Oktoberfeast 2026
Our annual fundraiser, Oktoberfeast, is just around the corner! This year’s event will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, and we hope you’ll join us for a fun-filled day supporting Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels. This family-friendly and pet-friendly event has something for everyone!
Event highlights include:
5K Fun Run
Food & Refreshments
Beer Garden
Kid Zone
Dog Zone
And much more!
Mark your calendars—we look forward to seeing you there!

-Brian Kinner

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It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the year! Thanks to the support of our community, we have served more than 120,000 meals to over 1,800 seniors so far this year. Half of those meals were delivered directly to the homes of seniors throughout our service area. We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers, donors, community partners, and staff who help us fulfill our mission each day.
We officially launched our second day of breakfast service on June 5th, serving more than 50 participants a delicious meal. Breakfast is now served every Wednesday and Friday at our Fowler Street Café in Richland. Our team does a fantastic job, and we would love to welcome some new faces, so come join us for breakfast!
We have also been working diligently to administer the Washington State Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. More than 1,000 benefit cards have been distributed, and we have now issued all of the cards allocated to us by DSHS. We are continuing to accept applications and have established a waitlist. If additional cards become available, we will begin issuing them to individuals on the waitlist in the order their applications were received.
Please note that Meals on Wheels will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. We will resume normal operations on Monday, July 6th. We wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July!

-Brian Kinner

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There has been a lot happening at Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels, and we are feeling the excitement throughout the program! Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to recently:
Volunteer Appreciation Event
This year’s event, once again held at the Dust Devils Baseball Stadium, was a wonderful time! Despite the less-than-ideal weather, volunteers came out to enjoy good food and great company. A huge thank you to Catholic Charities and Dairy Queen for helping sponsor the event, as well as the Dust Devils team for hosting us! Our volunteers are truly amazing, and we could not accomplish the work we do without them.
Subaru Share the Love
We recently hosted the McCurley Subaru team at our campus for the wrap-up of the Share the Love Campaign. We were honored to be chosen as their Hometown Charity for the 14th year! The community showed incredible support, and we received a total of $30,000 through the fundraiser! We cannot thank McCurley Subaru and the community enough for supporting Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels. Community partnerships like this help keep the meals flowing!
Pints for a Purpose
Local business Sage Brewing Company recently hosted “Pints for a Purpose” at their establishment. During the event, $1 from every beer sold was donated to Meals on Wheels! This event was held in partnership with the local National Exchange Club, and we are incredibly grateful to have been chosen as the beneficiary. A huge thank you to everyone involved and to all who came out to support!
Celebrate Your Pet
Nearly all the bags have been delivered! The “elves” outdid themselves, ensuring every list was fulfilled and packed with care. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this campaign!
Farmers Market
Applications have been steadily coming in, and we are working through the first uploads to the state in order to have the cards loaded. We anticipate receiving the cards soon and will begin mailing them out shortly afterward.
Breakfast service coming to Fridays
Beginning in June, we will start serving breakfast on Fridays in the Café as well! The hours will be the same, 8am-10am. Thank you to Three Rivers Community Foundation for a grant award to fund this additional day of service of our super popular breakfast offering! No reservations are required to attend. Hope to see you there!
New Holiday Closure
Meals on Wheels will be closed on June 19th this year in observance of Juneteenth. This is a new holiday closure for us, but frozen meals will be sent out in advance to Home Delivery clients who would like them.

-Brian Kinner

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Message from the Director

May has arrived, along with the national observance of Older Americans Month. The 2026 theme, “Champion Your Health,” encourages individuals to take an active role in their well-being; advocating for themselves, utilizing preventive care, and making informed decisions that support independence.
At Meals on Wheels, we are proud to support this mission by providing nutritious, balanced meals that serve as a strong foundation for healthy living. Just as important are the social connections our program fosters. Whether through visits from our volunteer drivers or shared meals at our dining centers, these interactions help reduce isolation and keep our community connected. We are also well-versed in local resources and are always happy to help connect individuals with additional support. As we age it is important to stay proactive, especially when it comes to health.
Farmers Market Update:
This year, we will be receiving fewer cards than in previous years. We encourage you to submit your completed application as soon as possible, as cards will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you still need an application, please call us or visit one of our dining centers. As a reminder, cards will not be distributed until early June.

-Brian Kinner

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Message from the Director

Here at Meals on Wheels, we are constantly reminded how fortunate we are to have such an incredible group of
volunteers. These dedicated individuals generously give their time to serve our community and help us make a difference in the lives of so many people every day. April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, and we want to extend a heartfelt thanks to each and every volunteer who supports our mission.

Your kindness, reliability, and dedication make our work possible. You show up each day with smiles and a willingness to help others, and that spirit truly makes our program special. If you are one of our clients, we encourage you to join us in thanking these amazing community members who help deliver not only meals but also care and connection.

We want to thank everyone who donates/supports this special part of our program!

-Brian Kinner

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Message from the Director

March is here and I am excited to welcome the spring season. Looking forward to more sunshine, flowers blooming, and nature awakening from its winter retreat. Things are moving fast, as always, but I wanted to highlight some statistics about the success of the Meals on Wheels program in 2025. Together, with the many dedicated volunteers and staff, we achieved great
things!

• 280,000 meals served!
• 40,000 total volunteer hours served!
• 587 dedicated volunteers!
• 132,191 miles driven delivering meals!
• 200+ pets of seniors cared for!

These are some amazing numbers, and we are so thankful for everyone that contributes to the success of
this program!

Our annual Celebrate Your Pet program is launching again! Wish lists are being sent out to all our participants, as well as being available at our dining sites. We ask that completed lists be returned to us by mid-April. For our home delivery clients, please hand the completed list to your delivery driver or send it to us in the mail. For our dining site participants, please give your completed list to the Site Supervisor.

We want to thank everyone who donates/supports this special part of our program!

-Brian Kinner

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