Meals on Wheels West Forced to Add Waitlist for First Time in 51 Years Amid Funding Crisis

Rising Meal Costs, Shrinking Federal Support, and Surging Demand Have Pushed the Longtime Santa Monica Nonprofit to Its Financial Limits

For the first time since its founding in 1974, Meals on Wheels West has begun placing new clients on a waitlist for home-delivered meal service as the nonprofit faces surging food costs, widening funding gaps, and unprecedented demand for assistance.

The Santa Monica–based organization announced the change this week, calling it a “financial emergency” brought on by escalating meal expenses and the ripple effects of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has disrupted key funding streams for hunger relief programs. Without immediate community and financial support, leaders say the organization cannot keep pace with the growing number of homebound