That’s according to Kim Fraley, executive director of the nonprofit Elder Services of Okaloosa County. Elder Services manages the Meals on Wheels program that serves over 300 clients countywide, including about 85 in the Crestview area.
Fraley said United Way Emerald Coast earlier this year provided $19,500 for the Meals on Wheels program.
“All of that money will be used for raw food costs: all the food involved in making a meal,” Fraley said today.
This past May, the Okaloosa County Commission decided to not use general fund dollars to help support nonprofits in fiscal year 2026, which began on Oct. 1. Before finalizing that decision, commissioners cited their opposition to using taxpayers money to aid nonprofits and noted that efforts by state leaders to potentially reduce property taxes for all Floridians would put a dent in local governments’ general funds.
Fraley said Meals on Wheels had received $30,000 from the county last year and had sought $28,000 in county funding this year.
“I appreciate United Way because they recognize that no one else is providing meals to the elderly at the rate we are,” Fraley said.
She said the total annual cost of the Meals on Wheels program is $237,000. Funding outside of the United Way money comes from donations and contributions, Fraley said.
“We don’t charge people for meals, but we ask them to contribute what they can give so we can expand the program,” she said. “We need some things: We need monetary support to expand the program, we need more volunteers, and we need to know where people are who need help. There is still a barrier: People are scared that if they show vulnerability they’ll be institutionalized. We need to assure them we want them to stay in their home as long as they possibly can, and as long as it’s safe.”
Currently, the Meals on Wheels program has a total of 427 volunteers, most of whom help deliver meals to clients. About 10 of the volunteers serve in the Crestview area.
Volunteers “do not have to commit to five days a week,” Fraley said. “They can volunteer for two days a week, or one day a week. All we ask is if you volunteer, show up, because these people depend on our volunteers.”
Besides needing more drivers to deliver meals in the Hub City area, Fraley is seeking a volunteer to help prepare the meals in the kitchen at Crestview Manor.
Crestview-area residents can request Meals on Wheels meal delivery services by calling Anne Spies, the Meals on Wheels coordinator for north Okaloosa County, at (850) 689-7807, or by applying online at https://www.elder-services.org/meals-on-wheels-application.
To serve as a volunteer in the Crestview area, call Spies, apply online at https://www.elder-services.org/volunteer, or visit the Meals on Wheels office at 298 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. The office stands next to the Crestview History Museum.