9 out of 10 local Meals on Wheels chapters believe there is an unmet need for home-delivered meals in their communities, and nearly half of these branches feel that they will not be able to support their current client base without funding above and beyond their typical resources. The objective of Meals on Wheels America’s national fundraising campaign was to raise awareness and funding for vulnerable seniors across the country. 

There has never been a more important time to increase attention and support for seniors in the United States. For many of us, the isolation and loneliness we all experienced throughout the pandemic is their everyday way of life – a Meals on Wheels volunteer might be the only person a senior will see all week. 

People think Meals on Wheels just delivers meals – but they do so much more. Meals on Wheels America also transforms the lives of homebound seniors by providing health and safety checks, and opportunities for compassionate human connection.

To help draw attention to food insecurity and social isolation affecting over nine million seniors in the United States, we developed an impact platform for Meals on Wheels America called “The Power of a Knock.” The core idea of this platform is that a simple knock at the door has the power to transform a senior’s life – helping to improve not only their access to nutritious food, but also their physical health, mental health, and environmental safety.

We translated our “The Power of a Knock” platform into a holiday fundraising campaign called “Give a Little Bit” – our goal was to demonstrate how something as small as a knock at the door can transform a senior’s social and emotional wellbeing. Using Supertramp’s hit single “Give A Little Bit” as an emotional backbone, we developed a heartfelt animated TV spot to illustrate the transformational effect a knock at the door can have on a senior’s day. 

Featuring Mrs. King, a senior, and her cat, the “Give A Little Bit” ad spot showcases how a little bit of help and human connection can brighten the lives of seniors across America. The 30 second and 60 second ad spot for the campaign that ran nationally (US) across TV, social, and digital channels.

The goal of the national fundraising campaign was to raise awareness and funding for vulnerable seniors across the United States – Meals on Wheels America successfully raised $2.5M during this campaign period.

The “Give A Little Bit” campaign was picked up by over 200 media outlets, with a total potential reach of 117,152,532. Roger Hodgson (founding member of Supertramp) also voluntarily shared the animation through his Facebook and Twitter accounts, encouraging his fans to donate.