Neighbors Table Home-Delivered Meals

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Executive Summary

Neighbors Table Home-Delivered Meals is a nonprofit in New Hampshire that delivers hot or frozen meals to older adults who cannot shop or cook for themselves, and checks on them with a friendly visit at every delivery. Trained volunteers pick up meals prepared by a partner kitchen, bring them to a person's door in insulated carriers and stay a few minutes to chat and make sure all is well. Menus are reviewed by a registered dietitian.

For older adults who are homebound, a good meal can mean the difference between eating well and skipping meals. A friendly face at the door is also a daily or weekly check that someone is safe. Many people live alone and see few visitors. Meal programs are among the most valued services for older adults.

With this grant we will deliver about 14,000 meals to about 70 homebound older adults in Year 1, an average of about four meals a week for each person. A Program Director runs the program, a Volunteer and Delivery Coordinator manages routes and drivers and about 60 volunteers deliver. We do not provide medical care or individual diet plans, and we do not promise any health result.

Our Year 1 budget is about $237,000, growing to about $259,500 by Year 5. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 paid staff, supported by volunteers.

We are asking the Granite State Aging Fund for $76,000 for our Program Director and for meals for homebound older adults. The area agency on aging, faith communities, donors and voluntary client contributions also support the program, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Joan Pelletier, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Neighbors Table Home-Delivered Meals is a small, independent nonprofit in New Hampshire, organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity. We serve homebound older adults and adults with disabilities in our county and the towns around it.

Our mission. To make sure no older neighbor goes without a good meal and a friendly check-in.

What we believe. A meal is nourishment and company. We treat every client with respect, never ask about income as a condition of a meal and invite a voluntary contribution that no one is required to give. We keep food safe and warm, and we notice and report signs of trouble.

What we offer:
- Home-delivered meals. Hot or frozen meals delivered one to five days a week, with a choice of menu.
- Wellness checks. A short visit at each delivery, with a note to the coordinator if something seems wrong.
- Special menus. Options such as low-sodium and diabetic-friendly menus, reviewed by a registered dietitian.
- Emergency meals. A shelf-stable meal kit for storms and winter emergencies.

Who we serve. Adults age 60 and older who are homebound, have difficulty cooking and have no one who can help.

What we do not do. We do not provide medical care or personal care, deliver food that has been held too long, make individual diet prescriptions or handle clients' money. We do not promise any health result.

How we are run. A volunteer board of seven governs the organization. I am the Executive Director. The Program Director manages the meal contract, menus, client records and safety. A Volunteer and Delivery Coordinator recruits and schedules drivers and routes. About 60 volunteer drivers help.

Where things stand today. We have letters of support from the area agency on aging, a hospital discharge planner, three churches and two senior centers, an agreement in principle with a partner kitchen, quotes for the insulated carriers and freezers and a volunteer agreement and food safety plan under review by an attorney. (Replace this with where you really are.)

Problem & Opportunity

Many older adults who live alone can no longer shop, cook or stand for long. Some skip meals or eat only snacks. Poor nutrition makes it harder to recover from illness and stay strong. Some live far from stores and rely on a neighbor or a family member who may be busy.

Home-delivered meals are a proven way to help, but the need often exceeds the supply. Waiting lists are common. Many programs cannot afford more meals, drivers or insulated gear.

An older adult who has no visitors may go days without anyone noticing a problem. A short visit at the door can catch a fall, a missed medicine or a change in health.

For a small nonprofit, the hard parts are paying for meals and a kitchen partner, recruiting and keeping drivers, planning routes in a rural area and keeping meals safe and warm in all weather.

We want to be clear about what we know and do not know. Meals and wellness checks are valued by older adults and are widely seen as a key support for aging at home. We will use the most recent local numbers on homebound older adults and waiting lists in our final plan. We do not know exactly how many people will ask for meals, so our plan uses a first-year goal and will report what really happens. We do not promise any health result.

Products & Services

Neighbors Table Home-Delivered Meals will bring a good meal and a friendly face to older adults' doors.

How it works, step by step:
1. Referral. An older adult, a family member, a doctor or an agency contacts us. The Program Director calls the person, explains the program and asks what is needed.
2. Assessment. A short home visit or phone call checks the person's needs, food preferences, allergies and safety at home, with the person's permission.
3. Menu. The client chooses from a short menu, including low-sodium and diabetic-friendly options reviewed by a dietitian.
4. Prepare. A partner kitchen cooks meals under a contract, following food safety rules, and packs them.
5. Deliver. Volunteers pick up meals, load them into insulated carriers and deliver on a set route, checking temperatures.
6. Check in. At each delivery, the volunteer says hello, notes how the client seems and reports concerns to the coordinator the same day.
7. Follow up. The coordinator calls clients after a missed delivery or a worrying note and, if needed, contacts family or emergency services.
8. Review. We track meals and feedback and update menus each season.

Why this approach is strong. A good meal and a regular visit reinforce each other. A partner kitchen and volunteers keep costs low and the program close to the community.

Market Analysis

Who we serve: homebound older adults and adults with disabilities who cannot shop or cook for themselves, in our county and the towns around it.

Our primary group is adults age 75 and older who live alone. Our secondary group is people recovering from surgery or illness and caregivers who need a break. We will use the most recent local numbers on homebound older adults and meal waiting lists in our final plan.

How we sized our plan. We plan to deliver about 14,000 meals to about 70 older adults in Year 1, or about four meals a week for each person. We grow to about 72 clients in Year 2, 75 in Year 3, 78 in Year 4 and about 80 clients in Year 5, with more meals for each person as needs grow. Our Year 1 budget is about $237,000 and our Year 5 budget is about $259,500.

Demand data. Letters of support from the area agency on aging, a hospital discharge planner, three churches and two senior centers, and a waiting list from existing programs, show a clear need. We do not count on any one source.

We do not serve everyone. We refer people who need medical nutrition, skilled home care or personal care to the right provider, and we ask people who can shop and cook to use senior center meals instead.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices for older adults, and what makes us different.

- Area agency on aging meal programs. They serve many people but have waiting lists. We add capacity and work with the agency.
- Commercial meal delivery services. They are convenient but cost more than many older adults can pay. We offer low cost or free meals.
- Senior center congregate meals. They are good for those who can get there. We serve people who cannot.
- Family and neighbors. They help when they can. We add a regular meal and a check-in.
- Grocery delivery and online shopping. They help people who can cook. We serve people who cannot cook at all and add a visit.
- Skipping meals. Some older adults do. We aim to change that.

What makes us different.
- A friendly visit at every delivery.
- Menus reviewed by a registered dietitian.
- Volunteer drivers and a local partner kitchen.
- No requirement to pay, and a voluntary contribution only.

What we do not claim. We are new. Larger programs have more kitchens and a longer record. We plan to earn trust one client at a time.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve.

Doctors, hospitals and agencies. We will meet discharge planners, doctors, home health agencies and the area agency on aging, and give them a referral card and a short form.

Churches and senior centers. We will speak at gatherings and ask members to refer neighbors and volunteer as drivers.

Families. Adult children who live far away can call or use a simple website to arrange meals for a parent.

Volunteers. We will recruit drivers through churches, clubs, colleges and retired groups, with a clear description of the time, training and mileage reimbursement.

Donors. We will invite businesses, faith communities and individuals to sponsor a route, a month of meals or a freezer.

Cost to the client. Free. We invite a voluntary contribution, and no one is required to pay or turned away for not contributing.

Staying in touch. We will send a newsletter with a thank-you to volunteers, a menu preview for clients and a short story of what a meal meant to a client, with permission, so that the community understands why the work matters.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (summer): Sign the kitchen contract and agreements with referral partners, buy carriers and freezers, recruit and train volunteers and finalize the menu with the dietitian.
- Month 3 (late summer): Open referrals and begin deliveries to the first clients.
- Months 4 to 11: Deliver meals on routes, add clients as capacity allows, hold volunteer trainings and a client holiday meal.
- Month 12: Survey clients and volunteers, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Meals are cooked by a partner kitchen and picked up at a church hall. Our small office is shared space in a community building.

Equipment. We buy about $12,000 of equipment once at the start: forty insulated meal carriers and ice packs ($4,800), two commercial freezers for frozen meal storage ($3,600), a computer, label printer and route planning tablet ($2,400) and safety lights and emergency kits for volunteer drivers ($1,200). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1, I serve as Executive Director. The Program Director, paid $46,000 a year, manages the kitchen contract, menus and client records. The Volunteer and Delivery Coordinator, paid $36,000 a year, recruits and schedules drivers.

Safety. Volunteer drivers pass a background check and driving record check, receive training and use their own insured vehicles with mileage reimbursed. Meals are kept at safe temperatures and delivered within set times. Volunteers never enter a home unless invited and never handle money. A written plan names 911 for emergencies and explains how to report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation as the law requires.

Quality and learning. We ask clients about the food and the visit, track missed deliveries and review every concern at a weekly meeting.

Costs. The meal contract and food are about $63,000 in Year 1, insulated carriers and packaging about $5,000, volunteer mileage about $6,000, dietitian consulting about $5,000 and administration and insurance about $10,000.

Management & Organization

The people who will carry out the project.

Joan Pelletier, Executive Director. Fifteen years of nonprofit work, including nine years running a senior services program. She oversees the program, partnerships, fundraising and finances. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Program Director (from Year 1). Manages the kitchen contract, menus, client records, safety and reports.

Volunteer and Delivery Coordinator (from Year 1). Recruits, trains and schedules drivers and plans routes.

Dietitian advisor. A registered dietitian who reviews menus and answers questions.

Volunteers. About 60 volunteer drivers and helpers.

Board and advisors. Seven volunteer board members, including a nurse, a pastor and a client's family member, who meet every quarter. An attorney reviews our volunteer agreement and privacy policy.

Staff pay in this plan is a full year per person: Executive Director $55,000, Program Director $46,000 and Volunteer and Delivery Coordinator $36,000. Replace them with the pay you can offer where you live.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals for each year and how we will measure them.

- Year 1: Deliver about 14,000 meals to about 70 homebound older adults with a friendly visit at each delivery. A balanced budget of about $237,000, with a small surplus of about $8,600. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 2: Serve about 72 clients and add a weekend emergency meal kit. A balanced budget of about $242,000, with a small surplus of about $8,300. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 3: Serve about 75 clients and add a second route and a winter storm kit program. A balanced budget of about $247,500, with a small surplus of about $8,200. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 4: Serve about 78 clients and add a monthly social lunch for clients who can attend. A balanced budget of about $253,500, with a small surplus of about $8,200. About 3 paid staff.
- Year 5: Serve about 80 clients and share our volunteer driver training with other programs. A balanced budget of about $259,500, with a small surplus of about $8,000. About 3 paid staff.

What we measure:
- Meals delivered and clients served.
- Missed deliveries and the reasons.
- Clients who say they eat better and feel less alone.
- Wellness concerns reported and what was done.
- Volunteers recruited and retained.
- Cost per meal.

How we review results. The Program Director reviews numbers every week. Twice a year, staff, the dietitian and the board review all results and share them with funders and partners. If a route has missed deliveries or complaints, we meet with the coordinator and the drivers and fix the cause. Every number in this plan is a goal, and we will report what really happens.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $76,000 from the Granite State Aging Fund for a Program Director and meals for homebound older adults, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Program Director salary, $46,000.
- Supplies: Meals for homebound older adults, $30,000 (other funds add $20,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 46% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $237,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $8,600 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $165,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), area agency on aging meal funding $40,000, faith communities and individual donations $22,000, voluntary client contributions $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $55,000; program director $46,000; volunteer and delivery coordinator $36,000; meal preparation contract and food about $63,000; insulated carriers and packaging about $5,000; volunteer mileage about $6,000; dietitian consulting about $5,000; administration and insurance about $10,000; about $3,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $19,100 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $4,800 for forty insulated meal carriers and ice packs; $3,600 for two commercial freezers for frozen meal storage; $2,400 for computer, label printer and a route planning tablet; $1,200 for safety lights and emergency kits for volunteer drivers; $1,500 for opening stock of containers, labels and napkins; $2,400 for attorney review of the kitchen and volunteer agreements and privacy policy; $1,400 for banners, large-print flyers and a simple website; $1,800 for background checks, food handler training and first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($19,100), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $900) and a cash cushion of about $56,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. The cash used before it balances and the cushion come to about $57,400. In all, that comes to $76,500. We start with $13,000 of our own savings and $66,000 in startup support from a local aging foundation and our board, $79,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $237,000 in Year 1 to about $259,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $165,000, $152,000, $139,500, $129,500 and $121,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: area agency on aging meal funding from $40,000 to $80,000 and faith communities and individual donations from $22,000 to $40,000 and voluntary client contributions from $10,000 to $18,000. We add clients, routes and meal options as the program grows. Grants fall from about 70% of our income in Year 1 to about 47% in Year 5.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $66,200, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $11,850 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. The area agency on aging, faith communities, businesses, voluntary client contributions and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Clients and volunteers share their stories, and sponsors can underwrite a route or a month of meals by name.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A food safety problem. We follow a written plan, use insulated carriers and check temperatures.
- Volunteers drop out. We recruit steadily and keep a list of substitutes.
- The kitchen partner changes terms. We keep a back-up kitchen.
- A client emergency. We train volunteers to call 911 and the coordinator.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow agency and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one route, 25 clients and four delivery days a week, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from the area agency on aging, referral partners and churches.
- Your kitchen contract.
- Your menu reviewed by a dietitian.
- Your food safety plan and volunteer driver policy.
- Your client intake form and privacy policy.
- Quotes for carriers and freezers.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $165,000 in Year 1, then $152,000, $139,500, $129,500 and $121,500.
- Area Agency on Aging Meal Funding: $40,000 in Year 1, growing to $80,000.
- Faith Communities and Individual Donations: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,000.
- Voluntary Client Contributions: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $18,000.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive director $55,000, program director $46,000, volunteer and delivery coordinator $36,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: meal preparation contract and food $63,000, insulated carriers and packaging $5,000, volunteer mileage $6,000, dietitian consulting $5,000, administration and insurance $10,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $12,000 at the start, then $1,500 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $19,100, paid once from $79,000 in startup money.
- Meals: about 14,000 in Year 1, which is about four a week for each of about 70 clients. The meal contract and food cost about $4.50 a meal in Year 1.
- About 5% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs