Meals on Wheels Montgomery County is asking sporting-clays shooters to help feed homebound seniors at its 11th Annual Great Pumpkin Shoot on Friday, Oct. 2, at Able's Sporting in Huntsville.
The nonprofit, which operates more than 85 delivery routes across Montgomery County, has been forced to place seniors on a waitlist as demand for home-delivered meals and transportation outpaces its capacity. All proceeds from the tournament stay in Montgomery County, according to a Woodlands Online listing, and go directly to meal delivery and services for homebound seniors and veterans.
The waitlist grew out of a funding crisis. In October 2025, the organization announced that major cuts to state and federal funding forced an immediate freeze on new client enrollments. At that time, roughly 200 seniors were waiting for services. The cuts also reduced the most vulnerable clients from seven meals per week to five and eliminated 500 transportation rides per month.
President and CEO Carrie Watkins called the funding cuts the most difficult decision the organization had ever faced. She said in October 2025 that the services are "a lifeline for seniors who live alone" and that seniors on the waitlist "do not have the luxury of time."
The organization has not released an updated waitlist figure for 2026, though its event page says demand "continues to rise."
How the day works
Registration opens at 7 a.m. Welcome remarks and a safety briefing begin at 8:45 a.m., with tournament play starting at 9 a.m. Lunch, awards and raffle drawings follow at 11:45 a.m. Team registrations include a golf cart, breakfast, ammunition, birds and lunch.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Interested businesses can email [email protected] or visit mowmc.org/great-pumpkin-shoot to register a team or secure a sponsorship.
"Every participant and sponsor helps us move closer to a future where no senior is left waiting for meals and critical services," Watkins said in a statement Sept. 24.
Volunteers support the organization's delivery routes across all of Montgomery County, including programs such as aniMeals, which delivers pet food for seniors' companions, and Breakfast Bags for supplemental nutrition.
Coming up
The Great Pumpkin Shoot is one of several MOWMC fundraisers each year. The organization also hosted a golf tournament at The Woodlands Country Club's Palmer Course earlier in 2026, with title sponsor Western Midstream. Registration and sponsorship details for the Oct. 2 shoot are at mowmc.org/great-pumpkin-shoot.
