INDIANAPOLIS — Meals on Wheels is making a difference in the lives of individuals recovering from substance abuse through a new program called NO Limits to Recovery. Graduates of the program emphasize that the meals provided were vital to their sobriety.
The program delivers 10 meals each week to individuals in their first 90 days of recovery. For Matthew Hopkins, a graduate of the program, these meals helped him reach milestones.
"You know, without the program I would have been worried about finding my next meal, so I wouldn't have been able to devote my time to my meetings and to my service work," said Hopkins, who is recovering from substance use disorder.
Having moved to Indianapolis specifically to get sober, Hopkins noted that the meals provided by Meals on Wheels have significantly aided his recovery and overall health.
“I actually cook a lot of the meals now. Like I looked up my favorite meals and learned how to cook them. So like it really helped get into thinking healthier,” he added.
According to the program's Client Care Coordinator, Alison Freeland, the aim is to support individuals coming off substances that cause withdrawal symptoms. Custom-made meals can be beneficial in this process.
"People in recovery have needs for medically tailored food. Your body needs certain nutrients to recover from what you have experienced. Having that helps with withdrawal symptoms,” Freeland said.
So far, the program is showing marked success. In just one year, 60 percent of the clients it has served have graduated from the program, and 100 percent of those graduates are still in recovery.
"We do evaluations on them primarily to track depression symptoms, and those significantly decrease when they are in the program," Freeland said.
A box of meals serves as a helping hand to individuals battling addiction.
"It's such a peace of mind knowing you have a meal every night," Hopkins said.
The program is supported by a two-year grant of $137,325 from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. Meals on Wheels hopes to expand the program to other parts of the state if it continues to see success. The program anticipates serving 50-75 individuals in the coming year and will transition from a cohort model to rolling enrollment.
For more information about the program, click here.
