Meals On Wheels Packaging

Meals On Wheels is one of the oldest and largest associations in the United States that provides nutritious meal services to the elderly, disabled, and frail who are homebound. The organization's mission is to work toward the social, physical, and nutritional betterment of vulnerable Americans. Currently, Meals on Wheels has a separate logo for each individual city chapter which makes it very difficult to build a recognizable and memorable image brand. In addition, no consideration is given to the physical packaging of the meals themselves.

The proposed packaging solution is intended to be easy to read, easy to handle, and easy to open. The overall design of the packaging and identity system conveys a positive feeling of self-worth, along with a sense of belonging. The packaging should not only protect the meal, but also project a feeling of dignity while letting the recipients know that they are a valued part of our society.


The new uniform packaging consists of custom-made vacuum formed trays made of earth-friendly compostable PLA. The trays are nestable and self-insulated. They feature slots to slip in recyclable SBS board sleeves which will make the delivery of the trays more efficient for the Meals On Wheels volunteers, keeping the trays stable during shipping or transporting to the intended point of use.