Meals on Wheels Seeking Volunteer Help in Bath and Highland

The Meals on Wheels program that serves Highland and Bath needs volunteers.

Harmony Leonard works in Highland County as the Senior Services Coordinator for Valley Program for Aging Services.

“Volunteers make the program work,” says Leonard.  “Especially in our community, I think that it’s reaching out and seeing people that we wouldn’t normally see.  It provides that social aspect that we so desperately need and especially older people need, so that they are not as isolated.”

Meals on Wheels provides nourishing meals to senior citizens, over sixty years of age, who are homebound and have difficulty preparing meals.   Volunteers are needed to make meal deliveries Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 11:00 and 2:00.

“They are responsible for getting the meals delivered over a two hour time frame,” says Leonard.  “And, of course, we provide training for the volunteers that includes health and safety to protect themselves as well as recipients, especially during COVID.  We would like for people to be full time residents of Bath and Highland County.  It just makes it a little bit easier to schedule, however if someone is here many months on a stretch, they just need to let the Volunteer Coordinator know so that scheduling can be appropriate for them.  You need to, of course, enjoy working with older people.  You need to have a valid driver’s license and have a good working vehicle to use.  You have to have the physical ability to walk up and down hills and walk on unlevel ground.  And be able to move in and out of a vehicle, sometimes up to twenty or more times over that two hour time frame.  And, of course, you need to be able to deliver Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between 11:00 and about 1:30.”

You can volunteer as often as you like.

“They can volunteer once a month if they want to,” says Leonard.  “With the number of volunteers that we hope to have, we hope that they can deliver once every six weeks or maybe once every two months.  So, it’s not a huge time commitment.”

Meals are prepared and picked up at the Highland Center in Monterey.  Kitchen volunteers are also needed to help with Meals on Wheels.

“This is great, because if you don’t want to drive but you still want to help, this is a really great way to help with Meals on Wheels,” says Leonard.  “Volunteers could volunteer on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday between 9am and 11am. Volunteers would be asked to come in to help with packaging of some of the food that needs to go out and also helping with assembling the meals for delivery.  That would be a tremendous help for the kitchen.”

Volunteer time and expenses are tax deductible and while using your own vehicle for Meals on Wheels deliveries you are covered by insurance during your volunteer shift.

If you’re interested in volunteering as a driver or in the kitchen, call Harmony Leonard at 540-468-2178.  If you are interested in delivering meals in Bath County, contact Alicia Wrights at the Bath Senior Center  at 540-839-5604.