Meals On Wheels People Earns Accreditation From The Food Is Medicine Coalition For Medically Tailored Meals Program (Photo) - 03/03/26
(March 3, 2026 – Portland, OR) — Meals on Wheels People (MOWP) announced today that its Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program has earned accreditation from the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), marking a significant milestone in the organization’s delivery of a high-quality medically tailored meal intervention for individuals living with severe, chronic, or complex illness.
The Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) intervention is the comprehensive process of delivering meals to individuals living with severe, complex, or chronic condition(s) using therapeutic, evidence-based dietary specifications for condition(s), based on an assessment of the individual’s nutrition needs by a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), and are intended to improve health outcomes, reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and lower overall health care costs.
FIMC Accreditation ensures fidelity to the proven medically tailored meal intervention and standardizes an ethic of care for organizations providing these life-sustaining services. Accreditation provides verified credibility for an organization’s operations and signals a level of service that can be trusted by clients, health care partners, and communities. The organization is the 14th agency to achieve this accreditation nationwide.
This accreditation applies specifically to Meals on Wheels People’s MTM program, which partners with health systems to support patients of all ages who are medically vulnerable and experiencing food insecurity, and remains separate from the organization’s older adult nutrition program, which remains central to Meals on Wheels People’s mission.
“Earning FIMC Accreditation affirms the care, expertise, and accountability behind our Medically Tailored Meals program,” said Suzanne Washington, CEO of Meals on Wheels People. “It reflects our commitment to delivering nutrition interventions that people with complex medical needs can rely on as they heal and manage chronic illness — often during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”
Meals on Wheels People launched its MTM program in 2021 after completing the Food Is Medicine Coalition Accelerator Program as part of its first cohort. While providing nutritious meals for older adults remains the organization’s core mission, the MTM program extends that expertise to individuals whose medical lives require more intensive, clinically informed nutrition support.
The program has grown rapidly in response to increasing demand from health care partners. In fiscal year 2025, Meals on Wheels People partnered with 13 health care organizations to deliver 104,580 medically tailored meals to more than 900 individuals, representing a nearly 60% increase over the prior year.
“We congratulate Meals on Wheels People on this achievement,” said Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of the Food Is Medicine Coalition. “Their Accreditation demonstrates leadership and commitment to advancing the food is medicine movement and scaling access to lifesaving nutrition interventions for those who need them most.”
To better meet the needs of patients across the Pacific Northwest, Meals on Wheels People expanded its MTM program beyond its traditional service area. This includes a frozen meal shipping model to support patients living in rural communities who may otherwise lack access to nutrition that supports recovery and long-term health.
For interviews with Meals on Wheels People leadership and health care partners for patient stories, program outcomes, or details about the real-world impact of MOWP’s MTM program, please contact Kelsey Allen at 503-953-8152 or kelsey.allen@mowp.org.
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About Meals on Wheels People
Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We provide meals and human connection to thousands of older adults and families in the greater Portland metro and Vancouver areas. Our services alleviate hunger and social isolation and empower older adults to live independently with dignity in their own homes. For more information, visit mowp.org.
About the Food Is Medicine Coalition
The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is a national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe and chronic illnesses. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through service, policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal model and maintain the nutrition standards for the intervention. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standard for MTM. For more information, visit fimcoalition.org.
