Today, I want to share with you an easy, simple way for you to give to Homebound Meals, Inc of Fort Wayne.   It’s through the Kroger Community Rewards program and costs you nothing but about 3 minutes of your time.
Homebound Meals is enrolled as a qualified charitable organization in the Kroger Community Rewards program and by simply using your Kroger Plus Card, you are able to designate dollars to support Homebound Meals!  
This is in addition to the points you already are personally earning and doesn’t effect the discounts you receive when you shop at Kroger.
All you need to do is enroll before you make your next shopping trip by following this link: https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow
Once you sign in, you simply look for Homebound Meals and select.  We are organization 14602.  This stays in place for as long as Kroger continues the Community Rewards! 

We appreciate your continued support!

Whether you love shopping on eBay to find great deals or you’re a seller who loves to pass on treasures and great finds, now you can support Homebound Meals while you shop or sell!
First, for eBay sellers who would like to maximize their contributions, you can be a Direct Seller for Homebound meals. When you choose this option, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to us, plus your item listings are specially marked, calling attention to the listing. Your charity listings will include both the signature blue and yellow charity ribbon and a trust-inspiring “giving bar” that displays the Homebound Meals logo and mission statement to all prospective buyers, and listings will be displayed in the Homebound Meals Charity Shop. Those who wish to be Direct Sellers should contact us to get set up!
Another option for sellers to customize their contribution is to become a Community Seller. Community Sellers can donate up to 100% of your final sales price to support your chosen charities. You can customize the donation percentage and the charity you want to support for each individual listing. The minimum donation amount is 10% or $1 (or 1% for eBay Motors listings.) These listings will also be specially highlighted as charity items so buyers know you’re selling for a cause, and will also be displayed in the Homebound Meals Charity Shop. All sellers will receive a receipt for their donation from PayPal Giving Fund within a few weeks after their listings have sold.
Finally, you can always shop the items in the Homebound Meals Charity Shop, knowing your money is going toward items from sellers committed to donating all or part of the proceeds to our charity. Be sure to save the shop to your favorites so you can keep browsing as new items are added. You can also select the option to make an additional donation when you check out!
However you decide to contribute, Homebound Meals is grateful for your continued generosity to our aging in place community. Happy bidding!

Do you have little ones (or even bigger ones) at home who have been creating up a storm? We’d love to pass on your notes, drawings & paintings to our clients to keep up their spirits! We know these little things make such a big difference to help brighten their day and give them something to smile about.

You can send us any kind of flat, mailable artwork, notes, or cards your kids have created to us at:

Homebound Meals, Inc
611 West Berry Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Or if you have a digital creation, please email it to us at: CaringArtforSeniors@gmail.com and we will print out your creations and send them to our clients for you!

This project will be ongoing throughout this time of crisis, so we deeply appreciate your creativity and thoughtfulness. We can’t wait to see what you create!

There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes at Homebound Meals, Inc of Fort Wayne, with our small part-time staff and volunteers who make everything run (almost) like clock-work. However there is also a lot that goes on outside the organization, in our community.

This month we received a surprise announcement from Belmont Beverage that Homebound Meals was selected as this years charity for the 2018 Pappy Van Winkle Charity Auction to be held at 3718 E DuPont Road on January 25th from 6-8:30 pm.  Homebound Meals Executive Director, Barb Umber, was unaware that we were even being considered until we received word from the husband of a volunteer H.B.M. driver who works for Belmont Beverage.  Thank you, so much!

Now here’s the fun part and we need you to participate! 

Plan on attending this fun event and bring your friends.  And you can also spread the word to your friends and family, in-person, with a phone call, text, email and of course on Facebook.

Homebound Meals, Inc. Board Director, Peg Maginn, shares one of her holiday memories:

As a Director on the HBM Board, much of my service to the agency involves administrative work, such as maintaining financial accountability.  However, each December I have the pleasure of assisting in the delivery of gifts to our homebound clients.  These gifts are mostly basic daily living items, such as Kleenex, deodorant, a flashlight, etc., and are provided to those in need.

While picking out my silly costume for this year (an antler headband), I found myself thinking of a woman to whom I had delivered gifts in 2015. At forty, she was one of our younger clients.  It was an unusual situation in that her health problems were directly related to severe obesity, which kept her both bedridden and homebound.  We talked for a bit before I presented the gifts, and her very emotional response took me by surprise.  She reached out to hug me, thanked me profusely and repeatedly, and declared this her “best Christmas ever”!

That a personal visit accompanied by a few simple gifts would have such an impact helped me appreciate that our service is not just about bringing food or gifts, but also fulfills the very real and important need we each have for human contact.

I’m very pleased to share the fact that this young woman no longer needs our services.  Over approximately eighteen months she was able to modify her diet and overcome her health issues to the point where she is no longer homebound. Thanks to her and so many others, our volunteer drivers, staff, and directors have the satisfaction of knowing that whether the need for our medically appropriate meals is short or long term, our services make a significant difference in the life of each client.  And that is their gift to us.

The Executive Director of Homebound Meals was asked to speak to the Anthony Wayne Rotary Club here in Fort Wayne on Wednesday December 6th. The members were engaged in learning more about Homebound’ s local efforts and a few potential volunteer drivers came forward.

If you have a club or organization and are looking for a passionate energetic speaker, call the office at 260.422.3296 and ask for Barb Umber. In her words, “I love to speak to groups anytime – anywhere!”

As we approach the end of another year of service at Homebond Meals, Inc., we want to share a couple of stories of Thanksgiving.
First from our Executive Director, Barb Umber:
After 25+ years the office chairs at Homebound Meals were failing. The hydraulics, if they were working when we started the day, would slowly lower until all of the staff were seen to be peering over their desk tops. We put out a call on social media looking for someone getting rid of or replacing their office chairs. Anything would be newer than what we had!
Less than 2 days later we received a call from Scott Hecht owner of Waynedale Lawn Care and Snow Removal. Coincidentally they have a client who happened to also be our client and shared the request with him! In addition, Scott’s wife and children drive as substitute for Homebound Meals, so they knew about us. They said that they wanted to deliver 4 brand new office chairs!
Homebound staff found a little piece of heaven in their new chairs. No constant adjustments, wheels the would not roll or chair back that would slip for no reason. Just like children – the first thing everyone did in their new chairs was to sit and spin! Words do not seem enough to say thank you to the Hecht family and Waynedale Lawn Care, but thank-you. Your kindness and generosity is humbling.
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At Homebound Meals we are also blessed to be a blessing to others. As you can imagine, since Homebound Meals started in the 1970’s delivering meals to the elderly and home bound, the original recipients of the meals from those early days have passed away.  Each year we continue to grow as your generosity with time as a volunteer driver and/or financial supporter of Homebound Meals sustains this needed  program for over 40 years.

Sometimes when one of our clients passes away, we are reminded of the impact of the relationships that are created.  Here’s the handwritten note from the sister of one of our clients who passed away this year:

Have a blessed holiday season, from everyone at Homebound Meals, Inc. of Fort Wayne!

Homebound Meals, Inc. Executive Director Barb Umber announced that a $2,500 grant has been received in support of the continuing efforts of our non-profit organization, “Special thanks to the Glick organization graciously donating this grant to assist with getting hot medically tailored meals to seniors in our financially challenged sector.  This contribution will assist Homebound Meals in delivering over 36,000 meals this year to Fort Wayne residents in our program.  We are humbled and grateful.”
This grant  was announced in observance of World Food Day, a global day of action for those who are food insecure, October 16, 2017, the Gene B. Glick Company announced it has awarded more than $300,000 to 50 organizations across eight states that are working to end food insecurity through Glick Philanthropies, a family of charitable entities, funds and initiatives focused on building community and creating opportunity. 


“Our company has a long and proud tradition of giving back to the communities where we operate through our corporate social responsibility efforts and association with Glick Philanthropies,” said David Barrett, president and CEO of the Gene B. Glick Company and Glick Philanthropies. “People form the heart of our communities, and we cannot build great communities when our neighbors go to bed hungry. This program helps provide meals for children, families and seniors who lack consistent access to high-quality, nutritious food, and reduces food insecurity as an obstacle to self-sufficiency.”


Forty-two million Americans –about one in eight– struggle with hunger, according to data from Feeding America. That includes 13 million children and more than 5 million seniors. Too often, individuals and families facing food insecurity in the United States must choose between their nutrition and basic needs such as utilities, medical care and transportation in order to make ends meet.


The 50 organizations selected for Feeding Those in Need grants were nominated by Gene B. Glick Company employees at various apartment communities across the U.S. Employees were asked to recommend the two local organizations and programs they believe make the biggest impact in addressing hunger and food security in the communities where they live and work.  The Gene B. Glick Company includes 5 apartment communities in Fort Wayne, some of which have residents receiving meals from Homebound Meals, Inc of Fort Wayne.

​Homebound Meals, Inc received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program to support meal delivery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This donation will support on the ongoing efforts to provide hot, medically tailored meals via the volunteer network of Homebound Meals, Inc. of Fort Wayne.

“This is such an amazing gift and opportunity,” said Barb Umber, Homebound Meals Executive Director.  “This will allow us to expand in areas where the need is not being met.”

The grant was presented to Peg Maginn, Board President, during a check presentation ceremony, September 29, 2017 at The Summit. During the ceremony, Walmart store manager Brock Heyneman spoke about the importance of the Homebound Meals organization and the impact on the local community.

“At Walmart, we understand that organizations such as Homebound Meals, Inc of Fort Wayne are essential to building stronger communities. They share our values and are committed to helping Hoosiers in need live better,” said Heyneman. “Through this donation, we are hopeful that Homebound Meals will be able to extend their reach in the Fort Wayne community.”

The mission of Homebound Meals, Inc.of Fort Wayne is to enhance the quality of life and health of the homebound community by the delivery of hot, nutritional meals and visits by the HBM volunteer drivers. 

Last fiscal year alone, more than 34,700 meals were distributed to the clients of Homebound Meals, Inc. of Fort Wayne, by the volunteer drivers who logged nearly 49,000 miles, donating almost 11,000 service hours. The efforts of the volunteers were also recognized during the luncheon at The Summit on September 29th.

All of this is accomplished without the support of government dollars.  Rather it was funded in part by generous community donations like this wonderful grant from Walmart. The need for this service continues to grow and is only limited by the number of volunteers and financial gifts.  If you can help, contact our office at 260-422-3296, or click on the links at the top of this page. 

​46 years and counting.

From the origins of the Fort Wayne based Homebound Meals, Inc program in 1971 to today, it has been the people volunteering to serve people that have made the difference.

What kind of difference?

Homebound Meals, Inc has made it possible for thousands of men and women to have a hot nutritious meal at lunchtime in the comfort of their own home.  Without these daily visits and deliveries, many of these Fort Wayne neighbors would not have been able to stay in their own home for as long as they have.

Every year we thank and honor the men and women who make it possible by volunteering their time and making those deliveries.  We will be having our volunteer luncheon later this month, but first a few pictures from the past couple of years.