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Meals on Wheels America Turns Holiday Memories Into a Call for Action
Public Inc. scores a 65-second holiday spot to "Auld Lang Syne," then lets the room go quiet
“Auld lang syne” roughly translates to “for old times’ sake.” So when Public Inc. named its new holiday campaign for Meals on Wheels America, it took the title straight from the song everyone hums at midnight and nobody knows the words to.
The 65-second spot, “For Old Times’ Sake,” uses that familiarity as a trap door. It opens on decades of holiday gatherings, then drops viewers into the present, where the house looks the same and the people are gone.
A family album that keeps turning
The film moves through holiday living rooms like someone flipping through old photos. Relatives in period clothes gather around a tree. A crowded dinner table glows under warm lamplight. A grandfather in a Santa hat leans in to coo at a baby while the family laughs around him.
The song carries all of it, soft and familiar. Nothing is oversold. These could be anyone’s memories, which is the point.
Then the room goes quiet
An older woman sits alone in an armchair beside the tree. Later she’s at the dining table, a walker parked beside her and the chairs around her empty. On-screen copy notes that the season now feels a little lonely.
No speech. No statistics flashing on screen. Just an empty table.
It’s a simple turn, and it lands because the film spent most of its runtime earning it.
A knock at the door
A Meals on Wheels volunteer arrives carrying an insulated delivery bag. The spot closes on the two women sharing tea at the table, with a plain ask: this holiday season, donate to help change that.
The meal matters. The company might matter more.
The numbers behind the nostalgia
According to Meals on Wheels America, nearly 14 million seniors nationwide worry about where their next meal will come from, and more than half report feeling lonely. Rising costs are pushing local providers to cut delivery days, start or expand waitlists or close altogether.
“For Old Times’ Sake reminds us that while the holidays are meant to be a time of togetherness and joy, far too many seniors will be hungry and alone,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America.
The campaign also carries a policy ask. The organization is requesting $2.285 billion in federal funding for the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program, the amount it says would eliminate waitlists, with the current continuing resolution set to expire Dec. 11.
A partnership with a long memory
This isn’t a one-off. Public Inc., an independent creative impact agency and certified B Corp with offices in Toronto and New York, has worked with Meals on Wheels America for years, from 2021’s “Give A Little Bit” to the “End the Wait” platform this campaign feeds into. The agency credits its “On Hold” work with building momentum ahead of a $70M gift from MacKenzie Scott, the largest donation in the organization’s history.
Long relationships tend to produce this kind of restraint. When you’ve told a brand’s story for this long, you know when to let a song do the talking.
Donations are open at mealsonwheelsamerica.org/for-old-times-sake, and volunteer opportunities are at mealsonwheelsamerica.org/volunteer.
Learn more
Public Inc.
Meals on Wheels America: For Old Times’ Sake
Volunteer with Meals on Wheels America
Contact: hello@publicinc.com
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