Meals on Wheels Riverside Launches Corporate Partnership Program Combining Donations with Volunteer Service

Meals on Wheels Riverside is redefining corporate partnerships through its "Together, Serving Smiles" program, which combines financial donations with hands-on volunteer commitments from local businesses.

"It is a corporate giving program that invites our local community businesses to come and extend a hand here to our program," said Alex Arana, executive director of Meals on Wheels Riverside. "Together, Serving Smiles allows them to come and sponsor us but in a meaningful way. They get to see what it's like to deliver the meals, put a smile on a face and help in such a blessing."

The program recently welcomed a $5,000 donation from HomeStreet Bank’s Riverside branch, one of several local businesses participating in the initiative. Unlike traditional corporate giving that often ends with a financial contribution, the program emphasizes ongoing volunteer service alongside monetary support.

For Meals on Wheels Riverside, this dual approach helps ensure both financial stability and consistent volunteer staffing to maintain meal delivery operations.

"Without community support, we can't do what we do," Arana said. "We've been doing it since the 1960s through the support of our friends in the community."

HomeStreet Bank’s participation exemplifies how the program works in practice. Branch Manager Cesar Rea serves as a board member for Meals on Wheels Riverside, while bank employees regularly volunteer their time throughout the year.

"Here at HomeStreet Bank, we believe in the power of banking to extend beyond transactions and numbers," Rea said during the donation presentation. "Through our active volunteering, we strive to bring smiles and sustenance to the elderly and homebound in our community."

"We bank here. Everybody's always so friendly and professional and always supporting our program," Arana noted. "Thank you very much for volunteering throughout the year, your support throughout the year and just everything is huge for our success."

The $5,000 donation will help provide hundreds of meals to vulnerable residents who may have limited mobility or resources to obtain nutritious meals. The consistent presence of corporate volunteers delivers something equally valuable — human connection for homebound seniors.

The "Together, Serving Smiles" program continues to seek additional business partners interested in supporting Meals on Wheels Riverside’s mission of ensuring no elderly or homebound resident goes without proper nutrition and companionship.