Organizations Called to Volunteer at Meals on Wheels
Nationally, the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies were concluded on May 11, but locally, the ramifications of the pandemic are still being experienced – especially by Meals on Wheels San Antonio, deemed an essential operation when the pandemic hit. The nonprofit reworked its operations to keep delivering to clients despite numerous health and logistical challenges. They shifted their delivery model from a weekday, hot meal delivery schedule to a twice-a-week, chilled meal delivery schedule.
“While other Meals on Wheels programs stopped service, we kept delivering meals to clients during the pandemic,” said Meals on Wheels San Antonio CEO Vinsen Faris. “Now we deliver meals to almost 4,500 clients. We truly need the community’s help to continue to serve our expanding client list and restore our weekday hot meal delivery model. Having a warm meal delivered by a Meals on Wheels volunteer will be a welcome reappearance for our at-risk, isolated neighbors.”
Pre-pandemic, 30 corporations helped with weekday meal deliveries. Now, 12 corporations have returned to volunteering. The nonprofit needs 45 corporations to regularly volunteer to deliver meals to meet the current demand. Reestablishing corporate and organization volunteer partnerships is crucial to addressing current and future volunteer needs.
“As workplaces reconvene and our community recovers, please consider reconnecting the volunteer engagement we all benefited from pre-pandemic,” said Faris. “Let’s restore organizational volunteer committees and encourage staff, young adults, retirees, and families to remember the value of service-related engagement. We’ll do our part to make the experience efficient and positive for our volunteers.”
Volunteers can choose from multiple pick up sites, including the new Campus of Grace headquarters at 2718 Danbury. Delivering these freshly prepared meals makes a real difference in the lives of elderly or disabled neighbors who would appreciate a visit. For more info or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, visit www.mowsatx.org/volunteer, email Ashley at ashleyg@mowsatx.org or call them at (210) 735-5115.
Meals on Wheels San Antonio was established in 1977 and is celebrating its 45th anniversary thanks to continued public-private partnerships. Since its inception, Meals on Wheels has delivered 22 million meals, supported 200,000 volunteer hours, and delivered 100,000 pounds of pet food to the pet companions of MOW clients. Meals on Wheels supports at-risk, isolated clients by providing nourishment, independence and care that enables them to stay safe and comfortable in their homes. For more information, visit http://www.mowsatx.org.
