The 2025 Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo Explored Building Program Resilience, Leveraging Collective Influence and Expanding Capacity to Serve More Seniors.
San Antonio, TX – August 28, 2025 – Meals on Wheels America, the national leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based providers addressing senior hunger and isolation, held its 51st Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX, this week. The premier event gathered senior nutrition leaders, aging experts and partners from across the country.
Held August 25-28, this year’s event centered on building resilience and leveraging influence – both personal and professional – to ensure Meals on Wheels providers can continue to support older adults in a challenging landscape. The conference featured immersive learning sessions, inspiring keynotes and opportunities for collaboration to equip the Meals on Wheels network for the year ahead and beyond.
For more than 50 years, Meals on Wheels has been one of the most effective public-private solutions to senior hunger and loneliness. Yet demand for services continues to outpace funding and resources, allowing waitlists to grow nationwide. As part of Meals on Wheels America’s End the Wait™ strategic platform, the event expanded on strategies for navigating uncertainty, protecting critical programs and uniting around the shared mission to improve older adults’ health and well-being.
“We collectively have a lot to be proud of – our resilience, our perseverance, our unwavering commitment. That momentum needs to inspire us on the challenging road ahead,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America, in front of 700 attendees at the Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter on the River Walk. “As funding falls flat, volunteers dwindle, costs continue to rise and demand for services accelerates with the growing senior population, it is more urgent than ever that we come together to End the Wait and ensure every senior who needs Meals on Wheels gets it.”
The conference included welcome remarks from Cecilia Abbott, First Lady of Texas and long-time Meals on Wheels volunteer, and featured keynotes from social impact leader Phillip Haid, award-winning author and social critic Maggie Jackson, and Administration for Community Living’s Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Mary Lazare. Programming covered topics from innovative service delivery and fundraising to data-driven storytelling and volunteer engagement, all aimed at strengthening the Meals on Wheels network’s collective impact.
Meals on Wheels America also proudly honored exemplary role models fueling the nationwide Meals on Wheels movement. Award recipients included:
- Meghan Grady, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, who was presented with The Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award for being an influential Meals on Wheels leader committed to combatting senior isolation and hunger with compassion, love and respect.
- PetSmart Charities, which was presented with The Driving Force Award for being an exceptional Meals on Wheels America partner committed to impacting the lives of homebound seniors.
This year’s Title Sponsor for the seventh consecutive year, TRIO Community Meals, played a pivotal role in making this event possible.
“TRIO is honored to support this important gathering of program leaders, innovators, and advocates working to improve the lives of older adults,” said John Kirk, president, TRIO Community Meals. “This year’s conference underscores the urgency of our mission to ensure older adults can age in place with dignity. In times of uncertainty, collective support, collaboration, and resilience allow us to move forward and meet the changing needs of the communities we serve.”
Platinum Sponsors included AARP Foundation, Caesars Foundation, DoorDash, Oliver, PetSmart Charities, The Home Depot Foundation and Truist. The 2026 Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo will be held August 17-20 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.
To learn more about the event, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/conference.
# # #
ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA
Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. Through funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information or to get involved in advocacy efforts, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.
Press Contact: press@mealsonwheelsamerica.org
