Delivering Meals on Wheels
Many Elderly Volunteers Bring Lunches to Their Fellow Seniors
Delivering meals to elderly men and women who cannot prepare their own is a gratifying experience for many senior volunteers.
Delivering meals on wheels to elderly residents is one of the most gratifying volunteer jobs available. This is partly because of the tremendous gratitude expressed by the recipients and partly because the volunteer learns quickly how crucial the meals are to the elderly men and women.
The job is especially fulfilling for seniors who still have the capability of bringing the meals to elderly people unable to prepare their own lunches. Elderly retirees make up a sizable portion of the meals on wheels volunteer corps because they are able and have the time to pick up and deliver the meals in late morning.
Senior Volunteers Have Special Appreciation for Meals on Wheels
They also have a special appreciation of the problems that their fellow seniors face from an age and health standpoint. Some also realize they themselves might be relying on the same service someday.
Depending upon the locality, the job requires about two hours. The volunteer must have a vehicle and a current license to drive. Some local meals on wheels units offer to reimburse volunteers for fuel, but many pay for their own gasoline. The mileage is deductible from taxes in some cases.
Some volunteers deliver meals as part of a team put together by their Kiwanis club or other civic or religious organization. Some individuals just sign up directly with their local Meals on Wheels unit. Volunteers can usually work as many days as they desire, usually one or two days per week or per month.
An example is a Kiwanian who delivers one Thursday per month to 15-to-20 recipients each month. Having volunteered for 10 years, he has delivered about 2,000 meals.
Delivering Meals is a Natural for Husband and Wife Teams
Though the meals can be delivered alone, it goes faster and is often more satisfying and enjoyable if two people deliver together, one driving and one walking the meals to the house or apartment. It can work very well for a husband and wife team, even if one of them cannot drive.
Bringing a child along can provide an important learning experience for the youngster and a joy for the elderly recipient to see and greet. Some recipients appear to long for company as much as for food.
Most of the lunch recipients are women, probably became women traditionally live longer than men. Most of them live alone. Some are confined to their beds, some to wheelchairs. Many cannot come to the door, so they simply call out to the volunteer, asking him or her to bring the meal in, perhaps to the kitchen table. Some recipients may ask the volunteer to open the milk carton.
Despite the trusts placed in them, volunteers worry about some doors being left open for them to enter the homes.
Meal Recipients Reimburse As They Can
Recipients reimburse Meals on Wheels for some of the food costs according to their individual needs. There is no charge for people who cannot afford to contribute.
Most recipients are exceedingly grateful to the volunteers who deliver their meals. In some cases the recipient and volunteer establish at least a conversational relationship that lasts for months. Unfortunately, there is a large turnover in the recipient lists because many die and many must eventually be transferred to an assisted living or nursing facility.
Meals on Wheels programs are conducted by local units of the national movement. Many of the programs are handled by senior citizen centers. Volunteers are constantly being recruited to deliver meals. Since many of the volunteers are senior citizens, there is a continuing turnover among them also.
