Loveland Meals on Wheels Expands to Serve Youth Homeless Shelter
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud has expanded its meal service to include The Landing, a youth homeless shelter in Loveland, through a partnership with Community Kitchen that leverages shared kitchen facilities to maximize nonprofit impact during a period of rising food insecurity.
Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally announced the partnership during the Larimer County Board of Commissioners' October 28 administrative matters meeting, highlighting the collaboration as an example of efficient resource sharing among local nonprofits.
"Another partnership out of that small, mighty kitchen that's serving two really impactful nonprofits in Loveland is they're now bringing and serving the meals to the Landing, the youth homeless shelter, because of budget constraints," Shadduck-McNally said. "They're also providing meals, hot meals and warm, great food to that youth homeless shelter."
The commissioner toured the shared kitchen facility last week, describing it as serving "two really impactful nonprofits in Loveland" while now extending services to vulnerable youth experiencing homelessness.
Shared Kitchen Enables Service Expansion
The partnership operates from the Community Kitchen facility at 437 North Garfield Avenue in Loveland, where Meals on Wheels and Community Kitchen share commercial-grade equipment including stoves, ovens, refrigerators and food preparation stations.
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud, founded in January 1968 as the first home-delivery meal program west of the Mississippi River, currently prepares and delivers nearly 100,000 meals annually to homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities, according to the organization's most recent tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service.
The shared kitchen model allows multiple nonprofit organizations to schedule production time in the facility, splitting costs for rent, utilities and equipment maintenance proportionally based on usage. This arrangement enables smaller programs to access commercial kitchen capacity without bearing the full overhead of building and maintaining separate facilities.
"I really think that's an amazing partnership," Shadduck-McNally said. "We're making sure folks stay fed."
Timing Critical as Food Insecurity Increases
The meal service expansion comes as November SNAP benefits were suspended for more than 19,000 Larimer County households due to the federal government shutdown that began October 1, intensifying food insecurity concerns across Northern Colorado.
Shadduck-McNally emphasized the urgency of supporting food security programs ahead of the November 1 SNAP benefit changes.
"I think it's important to ask folks to look into some of these nonprofits, into the food bank, and do what we can to support our families and our Larimer county in the state that receives SNAP benefits," she said. "I've been having a lot of conversations with nonprofits and organizations looking to support those with food insecurity, because there's a lot in our county and they say about half of those in Colorado are children."
Youth Shelter Addresses Persistent Service Gap
The Landing serves unaccompanied youth and young adults experiencing homelessness in Loveland and surrounding communities. Youth homelessness remains an underserved problem in Larimer County, according to the county's 2020-2023 Area Plan, with persistent gaps in shelter beds, meal security and mental health supports.
Prior to the partnership with Meals on Wheels, youth shelters in the region typically relied on inconsistent meal access through community donations and volunteer-provided food, according to county human services planning documents.
Regular meal service addresses both immediate nutrition needs and contributes to stability for vulnerable youth populations, who often face higher rates of food insecurity, trauma histories and disruptions in family support systems.
Nonprofit Budget Constraints Drive Collaboration
Shadduck-McNally indicated budget limitations prompted the meal service arrangement, though she did not specify whether constraints affected The Landing, Meals on Wheels or both organizations.
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud reported total revenue of approximately $1.16 million and expenses of $1.12 million in 2022, according to IRS Form 990 filings. The organization operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, distinct from the national Meals on Wheels America network.
The organization faces ongoing capacity challenges driven by increasing demand from an aging population, rising food and fuel costs, and the need to modernize facilities and technology to reach underserved rural populations, according to county planning documents.
Studies of nonprofit meal programs demonstrate that shared commercial kitchens represent a best-practice model for organizational efficiency, allowing charitable organizations to scale services, collaborate across missions and reduce duplicative operational costs.
Regional Food Insecurity Context
Larimer County's aging population and housing affordability challenges contribute to growing demand for meal services. The county's 2020-2023 Area Plan reports that 97 percent of home-delivered meal recipients say the service helps them maintain independence.
Loveland recently extended overnight shelter operations at the Loveland Resource Center through March 15, 2026, maintaining temporary accommodations for vulnerable residents while city officials explore permanent solutions.
The expansion of meal services to youth shelter residents demonstrates how nonprofit collaboration can address multiple community needs simultaneously, particularly during periods when government safety net programs face disruptions or budget constraints.
Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud is located at 437 North Garfield Avenue in Loveland. Additional information is available at lovelandmealsonwheels.org.