Hungry for Volunteers, Meals
on Wheels Delivers |
By Pat Jennette |
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Imagine being in your home
alone, perhaps widowed or
disabled. You are unable to
drive to a restaurant or to
a grocery store. Due to
disability or illness, you
are unable to cook for
yourself. Days can be lonely
and long for those in such
circumstances. Meals on
Wheels can help.
Patty Davidson,
development director for the
nonprofit agency, Lutheran
Service Society, says that
her organization oversees
many of the area Meals on
Wheels programs, including
the West Hills Meals on
Wheels.
Just recently, however,
they were forced to cut
services to the Meals on
Wheels program serving the
West Allegheny communities
when its board did not renew
its contract with the
Allegheny County Department
of Aging. St. John
Evangelical Church in
Carnegie has taken over with
an expanding service area
that includes the
communities served by the
West Allegheny area. The
expanded branch also has a
new name: South West Meals
on Wheels.
With this change, local
Meals on Wheels branches
need volunteers and clients.
They also welcome funding to
support the basic operations
of securing food and
preparing meals.
According to the Meals on
Wheels national web site,
the Meals On Wheels
Association of America is
the oldest and largest
membership organization
supporting the national
network of more than 5,000
Senior Nutrition Programs
that operate in all 50
states and U.S. territories.
The tireless work of these
programs - supported by a
dedicated army of two
million volunteers -
delivers a nutritious meal,
a warm smile and a safety
check that helps keep 2.5
million seniors healthy,
safe and living
independently in their own
homes each year.
Nearly one in six seniors
do not know where their next
meal is coming from each
day. In fact, the Meals on
Wheels Association of
America Foundation conducted
a study which revealed that
in the United States, over
five million seniors, (11.4%
of all seniors), were
marginally food insecure.
In the airport
communities, Meals on Wheels
groups provide personal home
delivery of nutritious meals
to the homebound who are
elderly or ill, and at a
fraction of the cost of
going out to eat or
preparing a meal from
scratch. On average, clients
pay $25 a week for two meals
delivered each weekday, a
hot meal for lunch, and a
cold, bagged meal for
dinner.
The meals represent more
than one-third of the
Recommended Daily Allowance
(RDA) of calories for
seniors, and generally, a
day’s worth of food is
served each weekday between
10 a.m. and 12 p.m. At many
sites, frozen meals are
available to cover the
weekends and holidays.
Besides the small fee paid
by each client, donations
cover the remaining costs.
Sponsorships may be
available for those unable
to contribute toward the
cost of their meal.
Neighbors, family members,
and friends can also donate
toward the delivery of meals
for friends or loved ones
during their time of need.
Donations can be made for a
week at a time, or for any
duration. |
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Donna and
Jeff Marshall with Vicki
Donne outside the Tonidale
Marathon gas station and
convenience store, as they
prepare to make deliveries.
A small storefront at the
convenience store serves as
a meeting place to divvy up
meals picked up in Carnegie.
Photo by Doug Hughey |
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South West
Meals on Wheels Program
Managers Candy Mageras, Teri
Mascellino and Bob
Colabianchi prepare meals
for delivery throughout the
region, including to the
West Allegheny community.
Photo by Doug Hughey |
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Volunteer
Manju Germanwala packs meals
at the South West Meals on
Wheels headquarters in the
St. John Evangelical Church
in Carnegie. Photo by Doug
Hughey |
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Among the area businesses donating food to
the program are Bednar Farm Market, Costco,
Giant Eagle, Panera Bread, Portman Farms,
Trader Joe’s and The Fresh Market.
Manchester Farms donates and delivers milk.
After all meals are prepared and
delivered, any leftover food is given to
food banks or to The Salvation Army.
Guidelines have been established to
evaluate whether or not the program is
suitable for meeting an individual’s needs.
To enroll in the program, an individual must
demonstrate the inability to plan, shop, and
prepare nutritious, well-balanced meals.
Individuals who are recovering from
surgeries or accidents are also welcome,
even if they only need the service for a
short time.
Each of the local Meals on Wheels groups
serves a unique set of communities. At each
location, a paid cook prepares the meals.
Requests to accommodate special diets,
particularly the needs of elderly due to
health circumstances, are always taken into
consideration, in particular those with
modified diet requirements, such as diabetic
or low sodium.
Barb Hess, who oversees the West Hills
Meals on Wheels team, notes that there is a
steady need for help overall.
“We have clients who need meals
delivered, and a dwindling number of
volunteers available to deliver,” she
explains.
The same situation is also affecting
deliveries in the West Allegheny area. Sue
Wise and Lena Cool volunteer for their
area’s program. They are constantly seeking
residents who can lend a hand for a day or a
week or so.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to be a
volunteer, just a compassion to help others,
a vehicle, and a couple of hours on the days
of commitment.
Teams of volunteers load up their cars
with the meals and drive to client’s homes
to make deliveries. Interaction between
volunteers assures the client’s well-being,
not only from a nutrition standpoint, but
also to provide some social interaction via
a friendly smile. Volunteers provide vital
interaction with the elderly and homebound,
acting as eyes and ears for them throughout
the week. Many times, volunteers have saved
clients from extended hospitalization or
even death due to this daily visit, explains
the Lutheran Service Society on its web
site.
That’s not the only thing volunteers do,
however. They help in the kitchen, order
food, train new volunteers, plan the driving
schedules for volunteers, and help with any
other tasks required to make sure the
kitchen and deliveries run efficiently.
Volunteer commitments vary. Volunteers
can schedule days that work best for them,
and a day’s commitment generally takes two
to three hours to complete deliveries on a
route. Volunteers are welcome for any length
of time they are able to give, even if it is
just one day a month or one day a week.
Volunteers use their own vehicles and pay
for their own gas.
All volunteers complete an application,
auto safety certification, confidentiality
agreement, and sign a job description. A
copy of the volunteer’s driver’s license is
kept on file.
With the change in sponsorship for the
South West Meals on Wheels, monetary and
food donations are especially welcomed. To
make a monetary donation, go to gofundme.com/SouthWestMealsOnWheels.
Fruits and vegetables grown and nurtured in
personal or area gardens are welcomed for
meal preparation, as are healthy packaged
snacks.
South West Meals on Wheels;
Contact:
Teri Mascellino and Bob Colabianchi;
Phone:
(412) 279-5670;
Servicing:
Beechview, Bridgeville, Carnegie, Cecil,
Clinton,
Collier
Township, Crafton, Crafton Heights, Dormont,
Green Tree, Heidelberg, Imperial, Ingram,
Mt. Lebanon, Noble Towers Hi-Rise, Oakdale,
Oakwood, Pennsbury, Ridgemont, Robinson
Twp., Scott Twp., South Fayette Twp.,
Thornberg, Thornberry, Upper St. Clair and
Westwood. |