Be part of Donate Dinner this November and help make the holidays warmer for our aging neighbors.
The holidays are a time for gathering. For sharing meals, laughter, and connection. But for thousands of older adults in our community, the season can feel cold — without family nearby, without a hot meal, without the comfort of companionship. That’s why every November, our community comes together for Donate Dinner to turn a season of need into a season of giving.
Since 2003, Donate Dinner has invited people across the region to join in a simple but powerful act: Donate the cost of a meal or more at the grocery checkout, at a local restaurant, or online. What began as a grassroots effort raising just $2,200 has grown into a movement that brought in over $200,000 for Meals on Wheels People in 2024, enough for more than 20,000 meals and moments of connection.
This year, our goal is even bigger: $300,000. Together, we can make sure older adults in our community aren’t left waiting for meals or for someone to care this holiday season and beyond.
A Community Tradition
Meals on Wheels People volunteers outside New Seasons during the annual Donate Dinner campaign. Each Thanksgiving week, hundreds of volunteers welcome shoppers, hand out Donate Dinner cards, and invite donations that help provide meals and connection for older adults in our community. Each shift is just two hours, and it’s a fun, easy way to give back this holiday season.
From its earliest days, Donate Dinner has been about neighbors helping neighbors — and New Seasons has been at the heart of it. Meals on Wheels People board member Claudia Knotek, who joined New Seasons in 2002 and retired 20 years later as community relations manager, remembers how the store’s leadership made Meals on Wheels People (then Loaves & Fishes) a priority from Day One.
The inspiration came from a deeply personal story: The store’s first president, Brian Rohter, had aging parents facing challenges far from home, and strangers stepped in to help. “For him, it made the point that these people had been kind enough to help his parents and how could he give back to help someone else’s parents?” she says.
When New Seasons opened its first store in Raleigh Hills in 2000, it hosted a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels People. “From the very beginning, we felt Meals on Wheels People matched our mission in so many ways,” Claudia says. “We’re a grocery store. We’re about good food. If we can help provide food for others, that’s incredible.”
Two decades later, New Seasons has become our largest corporate donor, raising millions over the years and leading the charge each Thanksgiving week as shoppers add donations for homebound seniors to their grocery bills.
“Being part of New Seasons means being part of something bigger,” says New Seasons’ community impact manager Karen Katigbak. “We care deeply about the neighborhoods we serve. The Donate Dinner campaign embodies this spirit, and I’m proud to carry forward a 25- year tradition of supporting Meals on Wheels People and addressing food insecurity in our community. By doing this work together, we can ensure that older adults in our community not only receive nourishing meals but also the care and connection that we all need right now.”
Market of Choice, Jim’s Thriftway, Shake Shack, Oakshire Brewing, and other local businesses also join in, transforming their checkouts, tables, and taps into places of compassion. They’re joined by Cambia Health Foundation, Jamba Juice, Baker Tilly, and Killian Pacific, whose matching support helps amplify acts of generosity.
Why It Matters
We’re Donating Dinner to Donna: “My husband is gone. My friends are all gone. I’m lonely,” says Donna, with unflinching honesty. But what brings her back to life is the chance to connect. “I love this,” she says of her time at her local Meals on Wheels People dining center. “It’s nice to come here and talk to people.”
Donate Dinner isn’t just about the dollars. It’s about dignity. It’s about making sure Donna doesn’t eat alone day after day, that veterans like Wally know their community hasn’t forgotten them, that Maria has meals that meet her medical needs, and that Robert knows that someone cares.
When you give through Donate Dinner, you’re not just filling a plate — you’re filling lives with connection, care, and comfort.
How You Can Be Part of It
Donate Dinner is more than a fundraiser. It’s a movement that grows stronger with each person who says, “Yes, I want to help.”
Whether you’re volunteering at your neighborhood grocery store, making a gift at checkout or online, or telling friends and family about the campaign, you are part of a movement that keeps our aging neighbors nourished and connected.
Together, we can set a table big enough for everyone. Will you join us this November?