this month Meals on Wheels Northeast Illinois (MWNEI) is proud to launch a unique and completely Latin menu. Our menu, created in our own kitchen, is a standout among food providers. We also take English as a second language into account when communicating about menus, such as by showing photos of products.
“Food quality is always a key criterion as we continue to introduce menu items,” says Sam Landman, MWNEI Food Service Director. “These newly added items are authentic items made by our very own Jesús Morales and Jesús Zapata. These are the flavors that mom used to make.”
MWNEI previously featured some of the menu items, but now an expanded Latin menu comprised of cultural favorites is available daily. According to AgeOptions, a nonprofit that connects seniors and their caregivers, it’s very difficult to find Latinx meals that can be used in senior nutrition programs.
Meals on Wheels in northeastern Illinois will include family meals in its deliveries, as grandparents are more likely to raise grandchildren in ethnic minorities. “I have personally witnessed clients not eating in order to feed their grandchildren their grandparents’ meals,” says Executive Director Deborah Mack. “The underserved elderly population is growing. And that population is rapidly reflecting the broader growth of the nation’s Hispanic and Latino population. Menus that focus on this culture is not offered by any other provider.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Illinois has the sixth-largest Hispanic population in the nation. Health disparities such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes are prevalent in our region’s population, especially older adults, but could be addressed with a heart disease and diabetes friendly diet in Northeast Illinois.
Eating in Northeastern Illinois
Meals on Wheel Northeastern Illinois is based in Evanston, Illinois and organized as Meals at Home. The first deliveries were made in October 1968 to residents of the Evanston and Chicago neighborhoods. The organization’s delivery reach eventually expanded north to the Wisconsin border, including Antioch, Beach Park, Evanston, Buffalo Grove, Burbank, Deerfield, Gages Lake, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Gurnee, and Hawthorne. Includes Woods, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, and Lake Forest. , Lake Zurich, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Lindenhurst, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Maywood, Mundelein, Niles, North Chicago, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, River Woods, Round Lake Beach, Skokie, Stickney, Vernon Hills, Waukegan, Wheeling, Wilmette, Winnetka, Winthrop Harbor, Zion and more.
