Meals on Wheels of Mercer County Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Meals on Wheels of Mercer County, founded in 1973, has grown alongside our aging population while remaining steadfast in our mission to serve homebound seniors. Each weekday, we deliver meals prepared at a local university, carefully tailored to meet each participants medical and dietary needs and reviewed by a registered dietitian. Many of our participants, often invisible in the community, are unable to cook or shop for themselves due to debilitating illness or life-changing circumstances and are vulnerable to food insecurity. Through the generosity of our donors and the dedication of our volunteers, we continue to meet rising demand and increased costs without missing a beat. Meals on Wheels of Mercer County served a diverse population of homebound seniors across Mercer County. During the most recent fiscal year, 138,471 meals were delivered to 701 participants. Key statistics of participants served include: 39% over age 80, 54% living below or near the poverty line, 50% on the program for more than a year, 54% living alone often with no local family, 68% veterans, and 57% female and 41% male. These numbers highlight the critical role our program plays in supporting the most vulnerable members of our community, providing medically tailored meals and compassionate care that help seniors maintain their health and quality of life.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 90.3%; rating input score 90
• Program expense ratio: 77.3%; rating input score 77
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -16.3%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.4; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 7.2%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings