St. Luke’s Community House serves children, families and older adults from diverse backgrounds and puts them on a path for a better future. In our rich 100+ year history, St. Luke’s has continually responded to the needs of the community and has evolved into a place where residents from across Davidson County can access multiple services under one roof. We serve the basic and essential needs of people of all ages by providing access to food, childcare, case management and wraparound services.

With the generous support of the West End Home Foundation, St. Luke’s is alleviating food insecurity and helping to meet the nutritional needs of 100 residents living at home in west and north Nashville neighborhoods. Twice a week, trusted volunteers deliver fresh and frozen meals while also providing our older neighbors with a point of contact for social interaction and help ease the feelings of isolation that many of them feel. St. Luke’s is also serving older adults across Nashville through our Food Bank, holiday adoption program, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Patricia lives alone in her home and has been a Mobile Meals client for two years. She enjoys the weekly meal deliveries, especially the spaghetti, and appreciates having additional meals to save in her freezer. Her grandson visits the grocery store for her every two weeks to pick up essential items. “I only have $22 a week for groceries,” Patricia said. “Mobile Meals helps me a lot.”

Patricia also participates in the annual holiday adoption program where community members are matched with an older adult for the holidays. Program participants provide a wish list and volunteers have the opportunity to purchase items off the wish list and wrap the gifts which are then distributed to the recipients. Patricia said that she hadn’t seen a wrapped present in years after the death of her husband. Although she received her wrapped gifts in mid-December, she waited to open them on Christmas morning.

Within our programs there is a distinct component that isn’t counted or quantified – the relationships that our staff and volunteers build with older adults living in our community. In this way, we go beyond just meeting basic needs and provide a meaningful human connection that so many of our neighbors need.

St. Luke’s is seeking additional volunteers to deliver meals to older neighbors’ homes and to work in our Food Bank. We offer flexible volunteer shifts in both programs. For more information or to sign up, please visit: https://www.stlch.org/getinvolved.

Mobile Meals

“By receiving meals twice a week, I visit the grocery store less. It saves me from transportation trouble and cooking. I can’t get around as I used to.”

“Mobile Meals provides healthy meals. It allows me to have better food in my diet.”

In 2023…

27,760 meals delivered by trusted volunteers
303 older adults adopted for the holidays

Additional supports provided:
• Free income tax return preparation by trained volunteers (VITA program) for 153 older adults
• Hygiene kits delivered monthly with Mobile Meals
• Groceries provided through the Food Bank via Mobile Meals deliveries or new Amazon pilot delivery program
• Regular visits & check-ins from St. Luke’s staff & volunteers
• Thanksgiving luncheon with St. Luke’s Preschool children & their families