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Meals on wheels program for home-bound seniors in the Tampa Bay Area

By Bryan Gray
Published  April 21, 2025 3:34pm EDT
What's Right with Tampa Bay
FOX 13 News

Delivering hot food to Bay Area seniors

FOX 13's Mark Wilson highlights What's Right with Tampa Bay.

The Brief

    • Hundreds of volunteers with the Neighborly Senior Care Network deliver more than just hot food to seniors in the Tampa Bay Area.
    • For Kristin Lindow, a neighborly volunteer, it’s a way to bring comfort, nutrition and a smile to someone’s front door.
    • Last year, the program delivered more than 500,000 meals across the region.

TAMPA - April is National Volunteer Month and one woman is delivering more than just hot food to seniors in the Tampa Bay Area.

Kristin Lindow is packing up for a big day. But she’s not heading off on vacation; Kristin is delivering hot, prepared meals to home-bound seniors.

"It makes me feel that I'm making a difference in the world, you know, in our little world, Tampa Bay, St. Pete," Kristin Lindow, a neighborly volunteer, said. 

Meals on wheels program for home-bound seniors in the Tampa Bay Area.

She’s one of hundreds of volunteers with the Neighborly Senior Care Network Meals on Wheels Program.

What they're saying:

"They see every day the immediate impact they make in the quality of life of these individuals," said Lindow. "It's not just about food delivery, it's, as most of our volunteers say, it is about delivering hope."

Five days a week, folks like Kristin hit the road with one mission: feeding those who can’t get out to feed themselves. 

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"I think that the people that I've met mean a lot to me and I mean a lot to them because I try to be as happy as I can be when I come to their door," Lindow said.

Meals on wheels program for home-bound seniors in the Tampa Bay Area.

Last year, the program delivered more than 500,000 meals across the region. While having an impressive team of 800 volunteers, the need continues to grow. 

"This is a critical lifeline for them because many of them have significant nutritional needs, and so we have dietitians on staff who work to ensure that the meals are properly and nutritionally balanced to meet the needs of an older adult population," said Hillary Justice, a volunteer coordinator.

For Lindow, it’s a way to bring comfort, nutrition and a smile to someone’s front door.

"I think that if more people took the opportunity to do this, they would find the same satisfaction," Lindow said.

What you can do:

If you want to volunteer, the program is always looking for extra help.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Bryan Gray.

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