Despite the sagging economy and inflated fuel and food prices, the Sun City and Sun City West Meals on Wheels programs are doing surprisingly well, program officials said.

The programs involve volunteer driver teams who deliver a hot meal as well as a packed cold meal to seniors who are homebound and cannot prepare meals on their own. The cost of the hot lunch and packed meal is $7, something that Mike Smith, treasurer of the Sun City program, said he was shocked has maintained constant in the face of such an economical downturn.

"I'm surprised but we're coping very well," he said. "We're doing quite well."

The Sun City program has the capacity to provide for 124 meals per day, seven days a week, for qualified residents of Sun City and Youngtown. Currently about 100 clients utilize the service.

The Sun City West program, which has about 50 clients, delivers meals Monday through Saturday.

Both programs utilize the food preparation service of the Sun Health hospitals, which prepare the meals each day along with meals for hospital patients. The partnership allows the programs to get food for a much lower rate than they may be able to otherwise because the hospitals buy such large quantities of food, Smith said.

"Boswell (Hospital) charges $7 a meal and prices remain the same for clients," he said. "Boswell hasn't raised prices yet and we will keep them at $7 as long as we can."

Betty McKenzie, chairwoman of the interviewers for the Sun City West program, said she was grateful the $7 price tag has remained the same for at least the last three years.

"We have (our food) at cost," she said. "It's up to Sun Health (Del Webb Hospital) to either raise or lower the price and it's been stable for three years maybe. So far so good."

Both programs rely on volunteers to run the food delivery routes because neither program has sufficient funds to hire drivers. The $7 per meal cost is only enough to cover the price of the meals and donations provide for program administration costs, Smith said.
And as fuel prices climb to record levels, the volunteer-based delivery programs have been fortunate as well. Luckily, or perhaps due to the kindness of the volunteers, not one of the more than 200 Sun City volunteers or 70 Sun City West volunteers has stopped delivering because of higher fuel prices.

"Our volunteers pay for their own gas and nobody has quit saying they can't afford to deliver," Smith said.

The Sun City West program has fared equally well.

"So far our drivers have not complained at all about the gas," McKenzie said. "Our routes are not as extensive as Sun City. We're just within the walls (of Sun City West) and it's only about 30 to 45 minutes per route."

In the face of cutbacks and more expensive operating costs, Smith said the Sun City Meals on Wheels program can even afford to take on a few more clients, with a decline in numbers during the summer months.

"I find it hard to believe that the price is keeping people from signing up," Smith said. "I don't think there's anybody less than us. We're down clients and we've been wondering why."

Donations are needed to help with operating costs for both programs. Donations may be mailed to the Sun City Meals on Wheels program at PO Box 1842, Sun City, AZ 85372. For information, call 623-974-9430.

The Sun City West program can be reached at 623-214-4233. Donations can be mailed to Sun City West Meals on Wheels at 14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West, AZ 85375.

Erin Turner may be reached at 623-876-2522 or eturner@yourwestvalley.com.