What started as 25 meals a day delivered to a small, inner-city area of Fort Worth has grown to a countywide program, and our commitment to helping the homebound remain independent and at home has not changed.

In 1972, representatives from 11 downtown Fort Worth churches met to discuss the problems in the central city. These churches were Broadway Baptist, Central Baptist, Greater St. James Baptist, Mt. Gilead Baptist, First Christian, First United Methodist, First Presbyterian, Gethsemane Presbyterian, St. Andrew's Episcopal, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Temple Beth-El. From this meeting, the Association of Central City Ministries (ACCM) was formed. Its first concern was services to the elderly. ACCM made the commitment to bring food to the elderly in the central city area, and on May 15, 1973, Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County was begun using all volunteer help. On that day, 30 people received meals. Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County (MOWI) owes a debt of gratitude to the members of ACCM and the many volunteers from these churches who worked so diligently to make it a success.

In 1989, MOWI turned to the community to ask for help to fund a central kitchen. Rapidly escalating costs from food service companies as well as limited control of the final product compelled MOWI to seek its own facility for meal preparation. In eight months, an existing building was found, purchased, and renovated into both the central kitchen and administrative offices for MOWI. By 1999, the number of meals produced in the kitchen surpassed the number it was designed to prepare. After careful consideration, MOWI made plans for a 14,500 square foot addition to its kitchen, garage, storage, and office areas. This project was completed in March 2001. This addition was made possible through the generosity of several area foundations.

Much has changed since 1972; however, the original commitment to enable elderly and disabled people to remain living at home by providing meals and daily friendly human contact has not changed.