Mackenzie Scott has given Meals on Wheels America a $70 million unrestricted donation, the organization said last Thursday, as local providers across the country struggle to keep up with growing demand for meals, safety checks and social connection for older adults.
The gift goes to a network that says it supports more than 2 million U.S. seniors and homebound people every year through more than 5,000 community-based programs. One in three local providers has a wait-list, and elderly citizens are waiting an average of four months for meals and services. Kristine Templin, who spoke for the organization, said it would “steward the investment thoughtfully and responsibly” to help local providers reach more older adults with meals, connection and care, and said success means “more seniors are able to access the support they need to live more nourished, independent, and healthy lives.”
The donation fits a pattern for Scott, a former Amazon employee and the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who has been making unrestricted gifts through her foundation, Yield Giving, since 2020. In that time she has handed out billions with few strings attached, including $7 million to Red Lake Nation College less than a week before the Meals on Wheels gift and $42 million to Elizabeth City State University just weeks earlier. That university donation pushed her total giving to historically Black colleges and universities past $1 billion, after previous gifts of $20 million each to Xavier University and Morehouse College, $80 million to Howard University and $38 million to Spelman College.
Scott’s broader philanthropy also includes $436 million to Habitat for Humanity, $90 million to the Forests, People, Climate collaborative and about $84.5 million to the Girl Scouts of the USA. She has given away 46% of her $41.1 billion fortune, with her philanthropic streak since 2020 totaling $26 billion. In 2025 alone, she has given $7.2 billion, a pace that has made her the third most generous philanthropist in the world. Meals on Wheels America said her latest gift will strengthen the network’s capacity, but it will not erase the shortage of need facing older Americans.
