What began as a solution to a service gap has grown into a countywide network of meals, innovation, and community support for older adults.
In the early 2000s, Vancouver’s Luepke Center was serving meals to older adults through a senior nutrition program supported by federal funding. It met an important need — but only part of it.
For Larry Smith, then director of Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation, the gap was hard to ignore. The city could serve people who were able to get there. But for those who couldn’t, the system simply stopped at the door. Rising costs also made it increasingly difficult for the city to sustain the program.
“We knew there was a need for meals for seniors,” Larry says. “We just didn’t have the capability. The best organization that was doing it was Loaves & Fishes. They were a perfect fit.”
In 2006, the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging awarded Loaves & Fishes (now Meals on Wheels People) the nutrition contract in Clark County.
20 Years of Impact
What began as a solution to a service gap has grown into a sustained community network — one that, 20 years later, has delivered more than 3 million meals and continues to expand how older adults are supported across the region.
Today, Meals on Wheels People serves Clark County through dining centers in Amboy, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, and Washougal. For seniors who can no longer safely leave their homes, Meals on Wheels People delivers meals directly to their doors, reaching urban neighbor hoods and rural roads alike.
For leaders across the region, Clark County’s growth reflects more than expanded meal service. It reflects a shared commitment to helping older adults age with dignity.
“For many older adults in Clark County, access to nutritious meals and meaningful human connection can make the difference between isolation and independence,” says Mike Reardon, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington. “Meals on Wheels People plays a vital role in helping seniors stay healthy, connected, and able to remain in their homes with dignity. This partnership and continued investment in services for older adults reflects the kind of community we want to be — one that values and s=upports people at every stage of life.”
Innovation Starts Here
That spirit of partnership has helped make Clark County a testing ground for new approaches to aging services, with Meals on Wheels People piloting programs that respond directly to the lived realities of older adults and then expanding what works across the service area.
THE DINER VANCOUVER
Opened in 2019, The Diner Vancouver is a public restaurant where people of all ages eat side by side. Adults 60 and older enrolled in our program can enjoy meals here and pay what they can afford.
PET PROGRAM
For many older adults, pets are essential companions and offer emotional support. The Pet Program helps ensure seniors are not forced to choose between feeding themselves and caring for their pet. This program provides food, supplies, and veterinary support through community partners, including Serenity Mobile Veterinary Care, Peaceful Paws, Second Chance Animal Companions, and Orchards Feed.
MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS
In partnership with PeaceHealth, Meals on Wheels People delivers medically tailored meals to individuals recovering from illness or managing complex health conditions. Paired with volunteer check-ins, the program supports recovery at home, helping reduce avoidable emergency visits and hospitalizations.
DINERS CLUB
A Community Effort
Meals on Wheels People’s work in Clark County is powered by a network of local partners who help extend its reach in meaningful ways. The Clark County Food Bank helps supply dining centers with food, while Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries helps bring books directly to seniors who may no longer be able to visit library branches.
Local organizations also strengthen volunteer service: Employees from Waste Connections deliver a weekly route for the Luepke Center, while the Washougal Rotary has adopted a delivery route supporting the Washougal Center.
Community partners help make dining services possible, too. Compassion 360 supports meal service in Ridgefield, Grange members serve meals in Amboy, and the La Center Lions Club partners with the city to ensure meals can be served locally.
What You Make Possible
Twenty years ago, Meals on Wheels People came to Clark County to help close a critical gap in services for older adults.
Today, because of sustained community support, that work has grown into a countywide network of meals, connection, and innovative programs that help thousands of older adults remain healthy, independent, and connected to the communities they call home.
But the need continues to grow.
As Larry reflects, the future is already taking shape: “In another 10 to 11 years, 25% of Vancouver’s population will be 60 and older,” he says. “That’s a lot of seniors. And a lot of seniors financially don’t have the capability. The cost of food, the cost of rent — there is so much need out there.”
For 20 years, this work has been possible because of people who believe older adults deserve more than a meal. They deserve dignity, connection, and the sup port to age well.
That is what you make possible.
