Civil Rights Training for Volunteers
Meals on Wheels of Odessa receives USDA nutrition funding through the West Texas Food Bank and the Texas Department of Agriculture. That funding comes with one rule that applies to every person who touches the program, including you: every client gets the same meal and the same respect, no matter who they are. This page covers what you need to know before your first route. It takes about ten minutes.
Who Is Protected
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related federal law, the USDA food programs MOWO participates in prohibit discrimination on six bases:
Retaliation is also prohibited. No one may be treated differently because they raised a civil rights concern in the past.
Beyond the six bases, MOWO does not discriminate on any basis, including religion, citizenship, political beliefs, marital or family status, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or income from public assistance. Those are not federal civil rights bases for this program, so a complaint about them is handled as a program complaint (see Section 4), but the standard of treatment is the same.
What Discrimination Looks Like at the Door
Discrimination is treating a client differently because of one of the six bases. It does not have to be intentional. On a route, it can look like any of these:
Denied
Skipping a stop, refusing a meal, or turning someone away.
Delayed
Saving certain clients for last, or rushing certain doors.
Different
Giving one client less time, less warmth, or a different meal than another.
Disrespected
Comments, jokes, or tone based on who the client is or how they live.
Serving Everyone with Dignity
Every client
- Greet them by name. Knock, wait, and give them time to reach the door.
- Be patient. Many clients move slowly, hear poorly, or live alone and want a moment of conversation.
- Keep what you see and hear private. A client's home, health, and household are their business.
Clients with disabilities
Federal law requires reasonable accommodation. On a route that means placing the meal where the client can reach it, allowing extra time, speaking clearly and facing the client, and reading a note aloud if asked. If a client needs something MOWO is not providing, tell staff so we can arrange it.
Clients with limited English
MOWO must take reasonable steps to make the program understandable to people who do not speak English well. Slow down, use simple words, point and demonstrate, and stay friendly. Never refuse service because of a language barrier. Let staff know so we can provide materials or an interpreter in the client's language.
A note for faith-based volunteer groups
Many of our volunteers come from churches, and we are grateful for it. USDA rules require that religious activity stay separate from meal delivery. You may not offer prayer, religious literature, or an invitation to worship as part of the delivery, and a client's religion or willingness to participate can never affect their service. Your kindness at the door speaks for itself.
If a Client Complains
A client may tell you they feel they were treated unfairly. Complaints can be spoken or written, and a client can raise one with any volunteer or staff member. You do not decide whether it is valid. Your job is to receive it well and get it to MOWO staff the same day.
Civil rights complaint
The client believes they were treated differently because of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. MOWO is required to forward these to USDA, with a copy to the Texas Department of Agriculture and notice to the West Texas Food Bank. USDA investigates and resolves the complaint.
Program complaint
Anything else: food quality or safety, a late delivery, customer service, or a concern about one of the non-federal bases listed in Section 1. These matter just as much and MOWO handles them directly, but they follow a different process.
What to do
- Listen. Let the client finish. Do not argue, defend, or promise an outcome.
- Write it down. Client name, address, date, what happened, and who was involved, in the client's words as closely as you can.
- Tell MOWO staff the same day. Call the office at 432-333-6451 or report when you return your bags. Staff will complete the complaint form and route it.
- Give the client the option to file directly with USDA. The contact information is in the statement below. They may do so at any time.
What Clients Are Told
MOWO posts the USDA "And Justice for All" poster at the point of service and prints the USDA Nondiscrimination Statement on program materials so clients know their rights and how to file a complaint. You do not need to memorize it. You should know it exists and where it points.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Remember
- Six protected bases: race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability. Retaliation is also prohibited.
- Same meal, same respect, every door. If you would not do it for every client, do not do it.
- Accommodate and communicate. Extra time, clear speech, and patience cost nothing. Tell staff when a client needs more.
- Keep faith and food separate.
- Complaints: listen, write it down, tell MOWO staff the same day.
Questions
West Texas Food Bank
432-580-6333Corina Medina, Program Managercmedina@wtxfoodbank.orgRaquel Holguin
rholguin@wtxfoodbank.org
Authority: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Age Discrimination Act of 1975; USDA FNS Instruction 113-1. Nondiscrimination Statement current as of August 28, 2026.