Meals on Wheels Collin County Launches Annual Harvest Box Initiative, Shifts Focus to Rural Seniors
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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Brian Wilson
NCTCOG
bwilson@nctcog.org
Antojuan Spoons Jr.
Meals on Wheels Collin County
spoonsa@mealsonwheelscc.org
NCTCOG coordinating with organization to match clients with transportation options
Oct. 9, 2026 (Arlington, Texas) – Meals on Wheels Collin County has kicked off its annual Fall Harvest Box initiative, dedicated to brightening the season for seniors in need by ensuring they have shelf-stable food, household essentials and a few extras to make life more comfortable. There are ways everyone can participate.
The Harvest Box event has typically been an initiative centered on community engagement, bringing volunteers and corporate partners together to provide participating seniors nourishment while reminding them they are an important part of the growing community.
Collin County added more people last year than any other county in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, welcoming almost 65,000 residents to push its population to 1.37 million. Meals on Wheels is trying to provide transportation connection information to its expanding base of clients, especially in more rural areas of the county.
“Through ongoing conversations, home visits and assessments, we have heard significant concerns from seniors living in our rural service areas, particularly regarding limited transportation access and food insecurity,” Meals on Wheels Collin County CEO and Executive Director Marzella Tyson said. “So, we adjusted our strategy to address what is happening in our community.”
The initiative also helps the organization better understand the transportation challenges its clients in rural areas must confront.
“This is more than a food distribution initiative,” Tyson said. “It is an opportunity to listen, respond, and show our rural seniors that they are seen, they are heard and they are an important part of our community.”
Collin County is served by a combination of transit authorities, municipal transit programs and contracted transportation services, with service models and eligibility varying significantly across the county.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) offers GoLink microtransit, paratransit, bus and rail service to its member cities in Collin County.
Collin County Transit is offered by the McKinney Urban Transit District (MUTD) and is contracted with DART to provide subsidized on-demand trips to residents of Celina, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Melissa, Princeton and Prosper who are 65 or older, disabled or low income.
Collin County Rides is a partnership between Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) and the cities of Allen and Fairview to offer shared-ride transit services for residents aged 65 and older, as well as those with qualifying disabilities.
Frisco Demand Response and On-Demand Services are city partnerships with DCTA. The Demand-Response program offers curb-to-curb service to Frisco residents who are 65 or older, disabled or need transportation for medical appointments. Frisco has also launched DCTA’s GoZone on-demand microtransit services within designated areas of the city with a regional connection to DART service in Plano.
Ride Awake Wylie offers a subsidized on-demand rideshare program through a public-private partnership for residents of Wylie, including select destinations outside city boundaries.
Plano Rides is an on-demand transportation program for Plano residents 65 and older offered through Via Transportation. The program operates alongside DART service in the City of Plano.
Some portions of the county fall outside transit authority boundaries entirely. So there is a need to make sure people are not falling through the cracks. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is working with Meals on Wheels Collin County to identify seniors in need and help with transportation.
The North Central Texas Area Agency on Aging, a department of NCTCOG, contracts with Meals on Wheels and transportation agencies across 14 counties, including Collin County, to ensure seniors 60 and older receive necessary nutrition and transportation services.
“North Texas has a history of working together for the good of the region and the people who make it a unique place to live,” said Doni Green, director of aging for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. “We value our partnership with Meals on Wheels Collin County and the Regional Transportation Council, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate in order to meet the nutritional needs of older residents.”
The NCTCOG Transportation Department is working to improve connections throughout the region, including Collin County. The department recently applied for a grant for the Dallas-Fort Worth Transportation and Medical Core Connections project, which would use conversational artificial intelligence to connect older adults and people with disabilities with transportation options, focusing on non-emergency medical trips. There would also be additional resources providing a human connection anyone could call to find out how to make a trip and what transportation options are available.
Additionally, the Regional Transportation Council is working on a plan to modernize Dallas-Fort Worth’s public transportation system to allow it to meet the evolving needs of the region through 2050, when the population is expected to eclipse 12 million.
Transit 2.0 could help fill gaps in Collin County and other areas throughout the region to ensure the transportation system evolves to meet the needs of residents as North Texas becomes more densely populated.
“Through Transit 2.0, we are reimagining North Texas’ public transportation system to ensure it is flexible, inclusive and connected to community-based solutions,” said Denton City Councilmember Jill Jester, who also serves as chair of the RTC’s Transit Vision Subcommittee. “Collaborating with organizations like Meals on Wheels Collin County allows us to bridge critical gaps and provide our seniors with the dignified, reliable mobility options they deserve.”
The Fall Harvest Box initiative continues through Oct. 28. For information on how you or your employer can participate in the effort, visit MealsonWheelscc.org/harvestboxes2026.
About the Regional Transportation Council:
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) policymaking body for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 45 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at www.nctcog.org/rtc.
About Meals on Wheels Collin County
Meals on Wheels Collin County has served seniors and adults with disabilities throughout Collin County for more than 50 years. Through nutritious meal delivery, transportation services, social engagement opportunities, and wellness support, the organization helps older adults remain independent and age safely in place. The organization’s mission is to nourish the health and well-being of neighbors who may face barriers to accessing food, transportation, or meaningful connection. Volunteers and staff deliver more than meals—they provide regular human contact, caring wellness checks, and a dependable sense of community. By connecting seniors and adults with disabilities to practical support and compassionate relationships, Meals on Wheels Collin County helps people remain active, dignified, and connected in the communities they call home. Its services strengthen individuals, families, and the broader Collin County community.
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