Billionaire's donation helps Durham nonprofit expand services and maybe its building, too

A year after Meals on Wheels of Durham received the largest donation in its history, the nonprofit is looking to expand – both its services and to a larger building.

Mackenzie Scott, one of the world's richest women, selected Durham's Meals on Wheels for a $750,000 donation, which was roughly equal to half of the organization's annual operating budget.

"We’ve just been very diligent making sure we’re doing the right thing," Executive Director Jason Peace said Thursday, noting his board assembled a task force to determine how best to use the money. "Ultimately, one of our main goals is to provide this service to as many individuals who need it or require it or seek it out."

So, Meals on Wheels started serving more people to whittle down its waiting list. It also explored different nutritional options for clients.

"Equally exciting is we’re looking for a new building," Peace said. "We think we have the capacity to serve more people in Durham. We understand more people in Durham need us, so we want to be able to position ourselves to accommodate that."

Meals on Wheels is "trying to be very strategic" in putting the donation to use, he said.

"This is a really humbling experience," he said. "It’s been an enlightening and eye-opening experience, just making sure that you’re being very diligent and having good stewardship over the gift that has been provided to you."

Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos, contributed about $4.2 billion last year to 384 organizations that focus on underserved communities as part of a plan to give away a large chunk of her fortune.

In June, she donated another $2.74 billion to organizations that focus on the arts and combating racial discrimination.

Others who want to donate to or volunteer with Meals on Wheels can find more information on the organization's website.