Client Information

General Information for Clients:

Please call 301-251-8885 for general information on Meals on Wheels and becoming a client.

If you are already a client, you may call the service coordinator at 301-706-0262 to let us know when you will not be home, to resume meal service when you return, or any delivery questions. WE NEED AT LEAST 24 HOURS TO CANCEL YOUR MEALS, so please let us know that you will not be home as soon as possible. Thank you!

Meals on Wheels of Germantown is a volunteer service organized to serve the community. Our meals are provided by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Senior Nutrition Program through a contract with the Montgomery County Board of Education. The current cost of each meal is $5.75 and we ask that you pay whatever portion of that cost you are able to afford. No one is refused service due to inability to pay. Volunteers will deliver meals to your home Monday through Friday, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Each day they will deliver one hot and one cold meal, unless you request a hot meal only.

We have tried to anticipate some of your questions:

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON HOLIDAYS? The following days are annual Montgomery County Holidays and the kitchen will be closed: New Years Eve, Labor Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Columbus Day, President’s Day, Election Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday. There may be additional days that the school kitchen is closed for training or other other holidays.

WHAT IF IT SNOWS OR THE WEATHER IS BAD? Listen to your radio or television for the Montgomery County school closings. If Montgomery County schools are closed or have a delay due to the weather, Meals on Wheels will not be delivered. Please use the emergency meals that are provided to you each Fall.

WHAT IF I’M GOING OUT IN THE MORNING AND WON’T BE BACK IN TIME FOR MEAL DELIVERY? Volunteers are not permitted to leave food unless someone is there to accept it. You can make arrangements to have a neighbor accept your meals, just call and let us know or leave a note on your door. Food will not be left outside in a cooler. Volunteers will not come into your home and leave the food if you are not home. If you don’t have a neighbor that can accept your food for you, please call the Service Coordinator’s number (301-706-0262) and cancel meals for the day. We need at least 24 hours to cancel a meal, so please call as soon as you know you won’t be home.

WHAT IF I’M GOING TO BE AWAY ALL DAY OR SEVERAL DAYS? Please call the Service Coordinator (301-706-0262) at least one day ahead to let her know the dates you will be away so that she can notify the kitchen in time to cancel your meals. Let her know the day you will be leaving and the day you will be returning. Delivery will be resumed when you return.

HOW DO I PAY FOR MEALS ON WHEELS? The cost of each meal is $5.75. You will receive a bill each month. The bill will inform you how many meals you received for the month, the total amount the meals cost and the amount you have agreed upon paying each month (when you signed up for Meals on Wheels). If you cannot afford the full cost of your meals, any contribution you can make is helpful. Please mail your check promptly to the address provided on the bill.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask your volunteers, call the Service Coordinator or call the Meals on Wheels main number. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services Senior Nutrition Program Food Handling Guidelines:

1. Eat the hot food as soon as it arrives. However, if you choose to eat it later, uncover immediately and put it in the refrigerator to cool rapidly. When ready to eat, reheat thoroughly.

2. Refrigerate the cold food and milk that you plan to eat later, as soon as it arrives.

3. Bread, cake, cookies and fruit may be left at room temperature.

4. When you finish eating lunch, if you have any leftover perishable food - main dishes, cooked vegetables, coleslaw, puddings, milk - put these in the refrigerator immediately.

5. Discard leftover food that has been in the refrigerator more than 2 to 3 days.Discard sooner if off-odor develops or appearance changes (bubbles or mold appear).