Mobile Meals & Senior Nutrition Program

Send a message to your family, friends, and loved ones while supporting Mobile Meals.

This year’s greeting card features a landscape scene painted by a participant in the Art Class at O’Connor Senior Center. Each pack contains ten cards with envelopes. The inside is blank so you can create your very own personalized message.

Proceeds from the sale of holiday cards will help Mobile Meals provide healthy and nutritious meals to homebound seniors in Knoxville and Knox County without a waiting list.

You can purchase the holiday cards at the:

Office on Aging located at the CAC Ross Building (2247 Western Avenue) 865-524-2786
O’Connor Senior Center (611 Winona St.) 865-523-1135

We can also mail the cards to you if you purchase 2 or 3 packs of cards. A $5 postage fee will apply.

Join our Family of Volunteers

Approximately 100 volunteers each day deliver a meal and a smile to the 1,100+ homebound seniors served in every zip code in Knox County.

Deliver meals between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., once a month, once a week, or as often as your schedule permits. Total delivery time averages two hours per route.

HOW TO GET STARTED: Fill out the volunteer application below. If you have questions, email our Volunteer Coordinator at mobilemealsvols@cacnutrition.org, or reach us at (865) 524-2786.

FOR LARGE GROUPS: We host several shelf-stable packing sessions each year, where large volunteer groups (10-25 people) help prepare and pack boxed meals that go out before holidays or potential snow days. To request a shelf-stable packing session, email vista@cacnutrition.org.

What is Mobile Meals?

Mobile Meals is the Meals on Wheels program in Knoxville and Knox County TN, working to combat food insecurity among homebound and isolated older adults. Every weekday, over 100 volunteers deliver hot, nutritious meals to 1,100 Knox County seniors who are homebound, unable to cook, and alone during the day.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for Mobile Meals has experienced a sharp increase and has remained high. In 2019, an average of 925 older adults were served each day. Now, Mobile Meals is serving an additional 175 seniors per day and is consistently receiving new referrals for service. Thanks to community support, CAC Mobile Meals is one of the few Meals on Wheels programs in Tennessee without a waiting list.

Who We Serve

The Mobile Meals program serves:

Mid-day meals
Five days a week (including Christmas and Thanksgiving)
To Knoxville and Knox County citizens age 60 or older
Who cannot cook for themselves and have no one to prepare meals for them

75% of the 1,100 recipients are over the age of 70, and 40% are over the age of 80. 62% of recipients are female. 63% (almost two in three) live alone in their home. Over half individuals served have a household annual income of $20,000 or less.

If you know, care for, or are a homebound senior (60+) or disabled individual who could benefit from Mobile Meals, please call (865) 524-2786 to apply.

Mobile Meals Celebrates 50 Years (no intro) – YouTube)

Support Homebound, Isolated Seniors in Your Community

Make a gift to Mobile Meals. Every dollar goes directly to providing food to homebound seniors across Knox County. Build Mobile Meals into your annual budget. Any amount helps. Pledge a monthly or quarterly amount to “Adopt A Senior” on Mobile Meals. It only costs $975 to feed an elderly person for an entire year, or $80 per month. Make a contribution to Mobile Meals in honor or in memory of someone special. Acknowledgment of your gift will be sent as you designate.

Host a shelf stable food drive. We provide supplemental groceries, as able, to particularly isolated and vulnerable clients. See our recommended grocery donations here. (links to pantry list document attached) If you’re interested in hosting a shelf stable food drive, call (865) 524-2786 or email mobilemealsvols@cacnutrition.org

Join the Power of the Purse Fundraising Committee. Help support Mobile Meals fundraising efforts by joining the committee that plans the annual Power of the Purse fundraiser held in September of each year. To express your interest in joining the committee, call (865) 524-2786 or email sara.keel@cacnutrition.org.

Mobile Meals & Senior Nutrition Program