Since 1974, Meals on Wheels America has hosted an annual convening of experts and leaders from local programs for three days of relevant learning sessions, inspiring keynotes and stimulating networking events designed to connect, align and reinvigorate the network. Meals on Wheels program staff from across the country attend to enrich themselves professionally, as well as learn actionable insights and skills to advance and support their organizations and increase their community impact.
2020 attendees are sure to walk away from this year's Virtual Conference reinvigorated, and with actionable insights that can be applied immediately. We hope you'll join us!
2020 FOCUS AREAS
The 2020 Virtual Conference programming will focus on the network's most pressing challenges and opportunities:
MEALS ON WHEELS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
We continue to be in awe of the resiliency, determination and leadership of the network through this challenging and uncertain time, and the awareness for Meals on Wheels' vital role in this ongoing crisis has never been greater. Join us to reflect on one of the most challenging times for Meals on Wheels in recent history, share innovations and adaptations that will become the “new normal” way of operating and explore how to maintain and leverage this heightened awareness as we work to secure the funding and resources necessary to serve an increased number of vulnerable seniors.
RACIAL DISPARITIES AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Recent acts of police brutality, civil unrest and the increased momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement have further underscored the racial injustice and systemic barriers that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face in this country. The better we understand racial disparities in food security, healthcare and our culture as a whole, the more effectively and inclusively we can address senior hunger and isolation in America and the more equitably we can run our organizations.
EMERGING AND EVOLVING OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE MORE SENIORS
Opportunities to integrate Meals on Wheels into the healthcare ecosystem are constantly shifting as the world around us changes rapidly. Sessions will focus on the continued need to adapt existing models, expand on our More Than a Meal® service offering – comprised of nutrition, safety, socialization and community connections – and measure outcomes to improve care.