Metropolitan Interfaith Association - Food Distribution Center

Who Can Get Meals?

MIFA Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious lunches to seniors in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Lauderdale counties. Home-delivered meals are for adults 60 and older who are nutritionally at risk and are frail, homebound, or disabled. Congregate meals at community sites are available to those 60 and older, or to people under 60 who have a disability.

How to Apply

To be screened for eligibility for home-delivered Meals on Wheels, call the Aging Commission of the Mid-South at (901) 222-4111. For congregate meals, complete an application in person at the site nearest you.

Good to Know

Each meal includes meat, a vegetable, a starch, a dessert, and a beverage. A staff dietitian makes sure every meal provides one-third of the recommended daily dietary intake. Clients receive a monthly menu that includes nutrition education and food safety reminders. MIFA also keeps emergency shelf-stable meals on hand in case of service interruption. Staff and volunteers who deliver meals are trained in food safety and handling.

Food & Essentials

Every meal is a balanced, nutritious lunch prepared in the professional kitchen at MIFA's headquarters by food service contractor TRIO Community Meals. Each plate includes a protein (meat), a vegetable, a starch, a dessert, and a beverage. MIFA also provides quarterly pet food deliveries for the companion animals of Meals on Wheels clients.

How Meals Are Delivered

MIFA doesn't require clients to come in. Volunteers and staff drivers deliver meals directly to clients' homes. Hot meals are delivered Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Frozen meals are available up to seven days a week with a single delivery. Clients may receive hot meals only, frozen meals only, or a combination, based on an intake assessment of their needs. MIFA also partners with managed care organizations that provide meal prescriptions for their members.

Congregate meal sites are listed at www.mifa.org/congregatesites.

Additional Support

MIFA offers several programs beyond meal delivery to support seniors and families.

The MIPhone Buddy program matches volunteers with homebound Meals on Wheels clients for weekly friendly phone calls, helping seniors feel more connected and less isolated.

MIFA's Long-Term Care Ombudsman program advocates for residents of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and residential care homes in Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Lauderdale counties. Trained volunteers and staff investigate complaints, monitor conditions, and protect residents' rights.

MIFA Housing Stability Programs help families in Shelby County who are at risk of homelessness through rent and mortgage assistance, family shelter placement, and rapid rehousing services. Call the Help Desk at (901) 529-4538 or email helpdesk@mifa.org to apply. There is also a Hotline for Homeless Families at (901) 529-4545 for families with minor children who need shelter resources.

Ways to Give

MIFA welcomes donations to support its programs for seniors and families.

You can make a secure online gift at mifa.org/donatenow, or donate through PayPal at paypal.com/donate or Venmo at @mifamemphis. Apple Pay is also accepted online.

To give by mail, send your contribution to:

Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association c/o Development Office 910 Vance Avenue Memphis, TN 38126

To give by phone, contact Mark Jordan at (901) 529-4544. MIFA also accepts stock gifts, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, matching gifts, and monthly recurring donations. Donors who give through United Way may direct gifts to MIFA using United Way ID 146827. Learn more about all ways to give at mifa.org/waystogive.

How to Join the Team?

MIFA welcomes volunteers in several ways. You can deliver Meals on Wheels to seniors — great for individuals, teams, congregations, and groups, whether as a one-time or recurring commitment. You can also become a MIPhone Buddy, making weekly friendly phone calls to homebound seniors. Other opportunities include becoming a Volunteer Ombudsman Representative, serving as a MIFA Ambassador at community events, creating birthday cards for clients, packing pet food for quarterly deliveries, and helping with holiday card mailings.

For individual volunteer inquiries, contact Marcie Lynne Williams at mwilliams@mifa.org or (901) 529-4521. For group opportunities, contact Angela Scott at ascott@mifa.org or (901) 529-4558.

When you're ready, complete the volunteer application online. Groups should use the group volunteer application.