Beyond the Weekends: Charting CMOW's Next Chapter

Citymeals on Wheels (CMOW) is a New York City non-profit with a 40-year history of providing weekend and holiday meals to homebound older adults. While community organizations deliver one meal per day on weekdays, CMOW supplements this with two weekend meals, plus emergency and holiday meals. Critically, CMOW has developed pilot meal packages that address hunger more systemically. As the city explores taking over weekend meal delivery and CMOW's municipal contract nears its end, they asked us to evaluate non-profit operating models and identify various path to expand their impact while staying true to their mission. Our team analyzed various operating models and benchmarked organizations that have made similar operational shifts. These insights informed strategic, nuanced recommendations that increase CMOW's impact while preserving their unique position as a leader in eliminating hunger among older New Yorkers.