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American Fork Mayor Brad Frost poses with a Meals on Wheels recipient on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

Courtesy Mountainland Association of Governments

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American Fork Mayor Brad Frost poses with a Meals on Wheels recipient on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

Courtesy Mountainland Association of Governments

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Utah County Commission Chair Skyler Beltran poses with a Meals on Wheels recipient on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Lehi.

Courtesy Mountainland Association of Governments

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The Meals on Wheels program is about more than just getting elderly people some warm food — it’s a chance for homebound individuals to connect with their community.

For more than 60% of clients of the Meals on Wheels program run locally by the Mountainland Association of Governments, the volunteers who deliver their meals will be the only people they see that day, according to MAG Aging Co-Director Jimmy Golding.

“And that’s huge, right?” Golding said. “That’s a lot of people whose connection is us. And so that has a pretty wide-ranging impact. And obviously that nutrition is important too. All these people can’t cook for themselves anymore, and so being able to have that brought directly to their door, especially because they’re homebound, is a double benefit.”

MAG’s annual March for Meals and Community Champions Week promotes the service by inviting mayors and other public officials across Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties to deliver meals and get a chance to see constituents they otherwise wouldn’t.

This year, 23 elected officials across the three counties have participated or will participate in the program between March 16 and 27.

Among them is American Fork Mayor Brad Frost who, starting his third term as mayor, just delivered meals for his ninth time. He said it’s something he looks forward to every year and wants the people he visits to feel the love of the community he represents.

“You get to connect with them,” Frost said. “Many of the people you don’t know. You know that they’re challenged in their ability to get out. That’s why they need that meal. So you get a minute to connect with them, to talk with them, to get to know them.

“One of the neatest things to me is seeing how the clients interact with the volunteers who bring them the food on nearly a daily basis.

“I watch how they have already connected to the volunteer, because the volunteer really is the hero in all this. They come every day, and they have really great relationships with the people they deliver to.”

This year’s March for Meals comes at a time of high need for the elderly community. Golding said meals are delivered to 1,000 to 1,200 individuals Monday through Friday across Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties, and yet there are 500 seniors on the waitlist.

As part of Community Champions Week, a donor is offering up to $100,000 to match any donations that come into the program. Those extra resources will go toward helping more people.

“Our ultimate goal is to make sure that every senior who has a need, we are able to fulfill that need,” Golding said. “And the reason why we can’t right now is financial. So if we can raise more funding, more awareness that there is a need, and get the community involved to help support us, then we can get those people off the waiting list and get them that home-cooked meal every day.”

As part of the program, Meals on Wheels workers cook meals fresh each day and deliver them to volunteers on trucks that contain an oven and fridge to keep things at proper temperatures, Golding said. Volunteers then go out with hot or cold bags.

Frost said when he goes out, he rides along the route with a volunteer to each stop.

“Again, it’s more than a meal. It’s the relationships that they’re developing along the way,” he said. “And I just get a little tiny peek into it to participate in that one day.”

Golding is grateful for the local leaders’ participation so they can help the cause and realize the need exists.

“The seniors love it, because it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my mayor. My mayor is here visiting me in my home,'” he said. “And so it’s just really, really special. But then for the mayors and the elected officials, it’s really wonderful for them too, because they get to go out and be a part of this, deliver that meal, and build that connection with the people in their city.”