Stop and Shop supporting local Meals-on-Wheels

Photo provided by Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands

WEST YARMOUTH – The Stop and Shop Family Foundation has supported the Cape and Islands Meals-on-Wheels program with a $50,000 grant.

Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands, which administers the program, says the gift comes at a time of record demand and declining federal support. Food insecurity rose 14 percent across the region in 2024.

Stop and Shop says it is committed to fighting that problem in the communities which it serves. In 2019, the company established its signature School Food Pantry Program to help limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. The program currently supports 51 in-school food pantries across Massachusetts, including 4 schools on Cape Cod which have received a total of $212,500 over the past few years.

The gift to Meals-on-Wheels announcement was made on September 9th at the Yarmouth Senior Center, which serves as an Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands nutrition site. 

“We’ve always been grateful for Stop & Shop’s commitment to the local community, but this extraordinary gift from their family foundation will be truly transformational in stabilizing our meals program over the coming year, as demand and costs both continue to rise,” said Sarah Franey, Director of Community Services at ESCCI.

Roger Wheeler, president of Stop and Shop, said “We’re committed to supporting organizations that make a real difference in the lives of our neighbors. Elder Services’ Meals-on-Wheels program ensures that older adults across the Cape and Islands have access not only to nutritious meals, but also to the care and connection that come with them.”

Wheeler added, “My family and I spend a lot of time on Cape Cod, and I am proud that Stop & Shop will play a role in helping this vital program continue its important work in serving our community.”