Are you an older adult, just home from the hospital or rehab center and can’t yet navigate the kitchen? Are you still living independently and notice that making a meal from scratch is getting harder to do? Well, don’t wait! Call Blueprints and ask for Meals on Wheels.
“We deliver so much more than a meal!” Blueprints Director Stacy Stroman is happy to tell you. “Our nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks enable older residents to extend their independence and health as they age.” Last year volunteer drivers delivered more than 58,000 meals throughout the county. Routes were also extended to bring lunch and a cheery hello to 42 new customers. Grab and go meals offered curb side pickup for those able to drive to the centers and is still an option for those not ready to leave the safety of their homes to do lunch with their senior center friends.
“Home meal deliveries are crucial to the well-being of older adults in Greene County because many are isolated and lack transportation,” Stroman notes. For new referrals, trained staff members make an initial home visit for a risk assessment and periodically drop by for an update. Combined with the daily visits of the volunteers who deliver the meals and do safety checks, “we are able to identify risks before they become problems and address concerns before they become health issues, which can quickly become tragic and costly,” Stroman says.
So how do all these meals get out into the community? Last year volunteer drivers logged more than 12,000 hours doing door dash deliveries, delivering meals prepared fresh each morning from the Carmichaels Community Center. Staff arrive before 6 a.m. to create tasty lunches that are then vacuum-sealed in disposable trays and kept lunch ready in insulated bags. Meals include a carton of milk, condiments and dessert.
Each month the meal delivery adds Center Connections, a newsletter that includes the menu for the upcoming month along with helpful hints and updates. The monthly Senior Times magazine is also delivered, hot off the press, along with seasonal greetings when school kids, University students and church groups decide to make Valentines and Christmas cards as a community service project.
Meals on Wheels depends on its fleet of volunteer drivers, from churches and the community at large, including Waynesburg University.
New drivers are mentored until they get the hang of the eight routes that deliver across the county. Meals are distributed from both the Waynesburg and Carmichaels centers and drivers can choose a time that fits their schedule. Becoming a backup driver for any of the routes is a good way to break into the routine.
Waynesburg volunteers arrive before 10 a.m. and load the insulated bags that are delivered by van from Carmichaels. Then it’s off on one of three routes that weave through the streets of Waynesburg then out into every direction depending on the route, from East View to Route 19, Garards Fort and Sugar Run Road and Route 188.
Those who deliver from the Carmichaels Center fan out across Jefferson, Carmichaels and the Mapletown area. Driving time varies but average 90 minutes and a stipend is available for mileage.
“Right now we need drivers for Friday on Route One,” Waynesburg Center supervisor Tina Raber said. “We need backup drivers for all Greene County routes so if you are interested and available for a certain day, please give us a call.”
Meals on Wheels is funded in part through Southwestern PA Area Agency on Aging, Greene County United Way and Community Foundation of Greene County.
For more information about signing up for home delivered meals, or to volunteer as a driver, call Blueprints – 724-852- 2893 ex 543.