WesleyLife At Home

09/08/2026

Food brings people to the table. Connection gives them a reason to return.

Across Polk County, meals prepared by WesleyLife Meals on Wheels are bringing older adults together at congregate meal sites for good food, conversation, laughter, and a sense of belonging.

Nourishment is about more than what’s on the plate. Sharing a meal can build friendships, strengthen connections, and help people remain engaged with the communities they call home. As one Ankeny attendee puts it: "The pie may bring people in, but the people keep them coming.”

See what’s happening around the table! Read the story in the link below.

Meals on Wheels prepares and delivers meals for Polk County's congregate meal sites. It's a partnership built around nourishment, in more ways than one.

08/28/2026

We’re excited to welcome Michelle Gogerty, MHA, to WesleyLife as vice president of Home and Community-Based Services!

As more older adults choose to remain in the homes and communities they love, WesleyLife is continuing to expand the ways we support independence, choice, and well-being wherever people choose to live.

Michelle brings more than two decades of healthcare leadership and a track record of building innovative services around the needs of the people they serve. In her new role, she’ll help lead and grow WesleyLife’s home and community-based services as we continue working to revolutionize the experience of aging.

Get to know Michelle and learn more about the experience and perspective she brings to WesleyLife. Read the full story in the link below!

Michelle Gogerty joins WesleyLife as vice president of Home and Community-Based Services.

08/15/2026

As WesleyLife Meals on Wheels continues the yearlong commemoration of its 20th birthday, we're more grateful than ever for corporate partners who believe in supporting our mission. Northwest Bank is doing just that with a generous $50,000 gift to WesleyLife Meals on Wheels!

This support helps Meals on Wheels address food insecurity and social isolation by providing nutritious meals, friendly connections, and important well-being checks for older adults and military veterans across Central Iowa.

Thank you, Northwest Bank, for helping us set the table for those who need us. Your partnership makes a meaningful difference!

(Pictured left to right: Sophia S. Ahmad, vice president of philanthropy, WesleyLife; Cara Treybal, president of Ankeny locations, Northwest Bank; Travis Simpson, regional bank president, Northwest Bank; Shannon Draayer, executive director of community nutrition, WesleyLife)

08/14/2026

Something fresh is growing at the Iowa State Fair ... and it started just a few miles away.

Produce from the Prairie Meadows Hydroponic Farm on the WesleyLife Meals on Wheels campus is adding locally grown flavor to the fair this year. Even better? The same farm helps bring fresh, nutritious ingredients to older adults and military veterans throughout Central Iowa all year long.

See what’s growing AND and where you can taste it at the fair!

Greens and herbs from the hydroponic farm on the WesleyLife Meals on Wheels campus take center stage at the Iowa State Fair!

08/11/2026

Des Moines resident Rita P., at right in the photo below, hadn't eaten in days when she received her first delivery from WesleyLife Meals on Wheels. Today, Rita is secure in the knowledge that she won't go hungry again, and that her delivery driver will spend a few minutes every day checking in to make sure Rita's doing OK.

The Metro is home to hundreds of older adults and military veterans whose stories are similar to Rita's, and WesleyLife Meals on Wheels serves them dependably, with compassion.

As Meals on Wheels commemorates 20 years of helping clients like Rita, please use the link below to vote for WesleyLife as the Des Moines Business Record's Most Influential Nonprofit. Your vote can enhance awareness of our services and help us make sure clients like Rita never have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. Thanks for your consideration!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZJD5T9J?fbclid=IwdGRjcAToa-lwZG9mBWZkaWQWUMQI2lug9abqjrThK5gKKwaP4xKFnGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6_8OwMthfIImIyoM8FqL0E2h0o_rgTFC6vKcVjP2p30NPpb0L4YIr60vENtw_aem_xS4mbO43Gf6sUyfr8p3qlA

08/10/2026

A $1 million gift is creating lasting support for WesleyLife Meals on Wheels.

Des Moines philanthropists Bob and LaRue Maddox have established the program’s first endowed fund, helping ensure older adults and military veterans across Greater Des Moines continue to receive nutritious meals, well-being checks, and meaningful connection for years to come.

For Bob, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, the impact is personal. Read more about this transformational gift in the link below.

A $1 million gift from philanthropists Bob and LaRue Maddox to WesleyLife Foundation has established the organization’s first Meals on Wheels Endowed Fund.

08/05/2026

We are pleased to welcome Nick O. to WesleyLife as director of sales.

In this role, Nick will lead sales strategy and support growth across WesleyLife’s communities for healthy living as well as our Home and Community-Based Services network.

Nick brings extensive experience in healthcare sales and relationship development. Most recently, he served as an area sales director with Suncrest Hospice and previously held leadership roles with Integro Healthcare Services and Arbor Springs.

His strong understanding of the Iowa healthcare landscape, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to building meaningful relationships will support WesleyLife as we continue expanding the ways we serve older adults across the state.

Please join us in welcoming Nick to WesleyLife!

08/02/2026

Higher culinary standards matter when the people we serve can taste the difference.

WesleyLife Meals on Wheels recently began working with Unidine to elevate the flavor, freshness, variety, nutrition, and presentation of our meals. Two handwritten notes from recipients tell us those efforts are paying off.

“I wasn’t very excited until I took the first bite. I almost cried, it was so good,” one recipient wrote, praising the fresh food, homemade rolls, seasonings, and portions.

The couple said they now look forward to the arrival of their Meals on Wheels driver each day and shared that the food leaves them feeling good, cared for, and valued.

“Please don’t ever leave or lessen your standards,” they wrote. “We need you.”

That is the standard we are working toward across WesleyLife: Food that supports health and independence while bringing dignity, connection, and joy to the people we serve.

Thank you to our Meals on Wheels team, led by Shannon Draayer (far left in large-group photo), and our organizational culinary team, led by Krista Adams (in white, with CEO Allison Pendroy), for making every meal matter!

07/30/2026

Some days, cooking is manageable. Other days, it isn’t.

For Marie, who is undergoing cancer treatment, having ready-to-heat meals in her freezer means she can still count on something nourishing when her energy or appetite is low.

As we celebrate 20 years of WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, we’re revisiting 20 stories that show how the program has grown and adapted to support older adults, military veterans, caregivers, and people returning home after a hospital or rehabilitation stay.

Read how a freezer stocked with good meals (like the ones being delivered in this photo of our CEO, Allison Pendroy!) can provide independence, relief, and peace of mind for Marie and countless others across central Iowa.

WesleyLife’s ready-to-heat meal delivery offers a flexible option for people returning home after a hospital or rehabilitative stay.

07/29/2026

What should support look like as you age? It should fit your life, not the other way around.

Vision 2030 is WesleyLife’s roadmap for helping people live well longer, expanding access to support and changing how aging is experienced. For you and the people you care about, that means more ways to remain independent at home, find the right support as needs change, and live in communities designed around choice, connection and well-being.

That work already is underway through WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, home-based care, and the myriad services and experiences in our communities for healthy living.

See how Vision 2030 is shaping what comes next in WesleyLife’s 2025 annual report: https://hubs.li/Q04r9wNk0