MOW Delivery Platform - Partnership¶
This project is a dedicated, open-source effort built specifically for and in partnership with Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle.
Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle¶
Providing More Than a Meal Since 1977
At Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle, we extend a compassionate hand to our community's most vulnerable individuals. With over 300 committed volunteers, we serve approximately 280 clients in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, providing hot, nutritious meals and essential wellness checks to those who struggle with food accessibility or preparation.
Each meal is tailored to meet our recipients' dietary needs under a registered dietitian's guidance, promoting health and independence while fostering connection and belonging.
History & Project Goals¶
Despite America being one of the richest countries in the world, an estimated eight million of its aging citizens face the threat of hunger. Meals on Wheels is America’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to mitigating this issue through community chapters.
The Previous System¶
The Charlottesville office previously managed operations by hand until a University of Virginia computer science capstone team created a web portal for them. This system automated many tasks, but over time, significant technical debt and data model limitations emerged:
- Performance: The application became increasingly slow.
- Data Model: The system had hard-coded limits, such as one diet and one pet per client.
- Reporting: Historical data was not preserved, making past reports inaccurate if a client's details changed.
- Security: The system had outdated security practices and configuration.
- Maintainability: The accumulated technical debt made the system difficult to update or fix.
The New Platform¶
This new MOW Delivery Platform is a complete rewrite from the ground up to address these limitations. It is built as a modern, scalable, and maintainable open-source solution to serve the organization for the long term.
Key Improvements¶
- Data Model: Supports unlimited dietary restrictions and pet management per client.
- Reporting: Preserves historical data ("immutable history") for accurate reporting.
- Configurability: Fully configurable for true open-source deployment by other MOW chapters.
- Security: Built with modern best practices, including proper CORS, HSTS, and Content Security Policy.
- Architecture: Modern, containerized architecture using Docker for consistency and reliability.
- Observability: A comprehensive observability stack (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki) for monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Mobile: Native iOS and Android apps for a modern volunteer experience.