Ellie Hollander

The CEO of Meals on Wheels America on why local programs are closing and what she’s going to do with a $70 million gift

- BELINDA LUSCOMBE

Is it fair to say that Meals on Wheels is the least controversial charity in the U.S.?

When we did our last public survey of voters, 9 out of 10 knew of Meals on Wheels, and of those, 9 out of 10 thought favorably of it.

Does that reputation make it harder to get your concerns heard? We’re a little hidden in plain sight. We got a boost in attention during the pandemic, when all of us were having to isolate at home, wondering where our next meal was coming from. This is the reality that the adults that Meals on Wheels serves deal with on a day-to-day basis.

How worried are you about the number of local programs that are closing? Some smaller programs have had to fold. Some are merging. We have a shortage of volunteers. Since I’ve been working here, I’ve been trying to get the charitable mileage reimbursement rate raised from where it was set in 1997: 14¢. The business rate is 72.5¢. But there’s a lot of polarization right now; it’s hard to get attention for really anything on Capitol Hill.