William "Tommy" Bloodworth Jr. spends 30% of his monthly disability check on medications. Without Meals on Wheels, the 71-year-old Roswell resident says there are days he would have gone hungry.

Bloodworth is one of a growing number of North Fulton seniors turning to Senior Services North Fulton for help. Participation in the nonprofit's Meals on Wheels program has jumped 20% over the past six months, the organization told Appen Media in a report published Friday, Aug. 7.

The surge comes as rising costs squeeze older adults on fixed incomes across metro Atlanta. In a May 20 report, Heather Terry at Senior Services North Fulton told WSB-TV that for the first time, the organization was placing seniors on a waitlist for services. The transportation program alone had 117 people waiting.

Bloodworth knows that pressure firsthand. Diagnosed with heart disease in 2014, he was receiving about $1,400 a month in disability benefits at the time. After spending $200 on blood thinners, little was left for groceries. It took several years for him to get enrolled in Medicaid.

"Once I started getting meals from Meals on Wheels, my food situation didn't become so tight anymore," Bloodworth told Appen Media. "I was able to relax a little bit."

On pleasant afternoons, Bloodworth waits on his back porch for the familiar volunteer cars to roll up his driveway. He knows the drivers by first name.

The connection goes both ways. When Bloodworth was hospitalized in April and went through rehabilitation, Meals on Wheels volunteers checked in on him throughout.

Senior Services North Fulton's work runs on more than 500 volunteers, the majority serving through the meal-delivery program. Michelle Williams, the organization's director of meals and volunteer services, said those volunteers deliver hundreds of meals across North Fulton each week, helping older adults maintain independence while reducing isolation.

In 2025, the nonprofit served more than 59,000 meals across Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs. It also provided more than 2,000 rides to medical appointments and more than 1,240 hours of programming at its seven senior centers.

The organization even feeds Bloodworth's cat. Princess Cleo gets a monthly pet food delivery through the Meals on Wheels for Pets program.

Residents who want to volunteer or donate can visit ssnorthfulton.org or call (770) 993-1906.