FORT WORTH -- Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County has launched a $15.5 million capital campaign for a new facility that would quadruple kitchen space for the nonprofit, which delivers healthy meals to needy residents.
The new building would allow the agency to keep pace with an expected 51 percent increase in clients by 2020, said Carla Jutson, the executive director.Plans call for 56,000 square feet of kitchen space and offices, a significant upgrade from the 21,000 square feet at the agency's current location, just south of downtown Fort Worth."We have completely maxed out this building," Jutson said. "I can show you three people who are working in what was previously a storage closet. We are pretty much working on top of each other."The organization launched the fundraising effort in late May. Officials have invited the 11 churches that founded Meals on Wheels in 1973 to a ceremonial blessing of the property Tuesday.The founding churches represented Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jewish congregations, Jutson said. The organization first operated out of a church, then rented offices that lacked a kitchen.Meals on Wheels originally bought the meals it distributed from for-profit businesses, she said.The new building, which will include a 16,000-square-foot indoor parking garage, would be built on 9.2 acres south of Airport Freeway, just west of Carson Street.The organization bought the current facility, just off of Interstate 35W, in 1989. It was originally 11,000 square feet and was expanded to its current size over the years, officials said.The current kitchen is so cramped that cooking stations -- a prep area, a hot food station, etc. -- are makeshift, said Sherry Simon, the director of nutrition."We have to put a table in the floor space and just form two separate lines," she said. "It is definitely not the most efficient flow. And we're basically landlocked now, because there is no room for any new infrastructure."The new facility will include space for expansion, if needed, she said.Meals on Wheels has about 80 employees but may have 150 people, including volunteers, inside the building on a given day, Jutson said.The organization based its client growth estimation on figures from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, she said.Last year, the organization had 4,271 volunteers and 201 delivery routes. Its goal is to help keep vulnerable people in their homes by improving their health through nutrition, regular contact with volunteers and professional case management, Jutson said.No construction date is set, she said. Once the money is secured and ground is broken, construction should take 10 to 12 months.Donations of all sizes are welcome, Jutson said.Alex Branch, 817-390-7689Meals on Wheels
By the numbers
985,187 meals delivered last year
4,255 clients served last year
51 percent estimated client increase by 2020
To donate to Meals on Wheels, visit www.mealsonwheels.org and click the "donate today" tab near the top of the page. Or call 817-336-0912.
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