Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana now serves people in addiction recovery

INDIANAPOLIS – Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana has served the community for decades.

Now, they are serving a new population of people in addiction recovery. A population often with food insecurity.

“Many of them are living with malnutrition and many are applying for SNAP benefits and food stamps,” said David Carpenter, director of quality for Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana. “So we can support them until those benefits kick in.”

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Carpenter runs the NO Limits Recovery program. For him, this program is personal.

“Being someone in recovery, living with a substance use disorder,” Carpenter said. “(This program) is named after a good friend and co-worker of mine, Nate Otolski. That’s what the NO to NO Limits to Recovery stands for.”

Otolski used to work at Meals On Wheels. It was his idea to serve people in recovery. He died of an overdose two years ago.

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now this idea is a reality. NO Limits to Recovery launched in July, and the program is already serving 20 clients, with more expected in the future.

“So far 100 percent of respondents have indicated that yes, this is making a difference and allowing them to focus on the next right thing,” Carpenter said.

Meals On Wheels has other programs to serve people with HIV and those living with cancer who are below the poverty line. The organization says it is always looking to help people in need.

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“Where we see the communities that need us the most, we’re going to expand where that works,” said Pat Sevanc of Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana. “We want to help all the people who need food. We can help get food. medically sized meals and get them on a better path to a healthier life.”

The program is funded for two years, and Carpenter hopes it will expand statewide. A program that will live on in the name of someone who means so much to the recovery community.

“Every time someone gets a meal and opens it up, that’s a memory of Nate right there,” Carpenter said.

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The NO Limits Recovery Program provides 10 meals once a week to people in recovery. They also receive pantry staples.

For more details on the program, click here.