The Habersham County Senior Center is strapped for volunteers for their Meals on Wheels program, which provides food to senior citizens who cannot go out and get the food they need on their own.
According to Habersham County Meals on Wheels Program Specialist Teri Lewis, the program lost around 20 volunteers last year due to fear of contracting COVID-19, but Lewis assures potential volunteers that Meals on Wheels has COVID-19 safety precautions in place to protect volunteers and senior citizens.
Habersham County’s Meals on Wheels program currently delivers to 160 people and distributes more than 3,500 meals monthly, with six daily delivery routes plus two additional frozen meal delivery routes on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Lewis says that without Meals on Wheels, the seniors they serve would “very much suffer from lack of nutrition and contact with people.”
“Many of our clients have no family in the area, so we are often the only people they see,” Lewis says. “We are helping folks to be able to stay in their home, versus going to a nursing home that is very expensive.”
People who volunteer with Meals on Wheels can volunteer as little or as much as they’d like, and Lewis says a usual route only takes about one hour to an hour and a half to complete.
Meals on Wheels isn’t just providing food and friendship to seniors, volunteers with the program can also help seniors get access to the resources they need.
“In addition to the nutrition we are providing, we are doing a wellness check and resource referral for those that might need it,” Lewis says. Those resources range from heating assistance to legal help.
The program needs more helping hands; volunteers are essential to keep the program running. During the holiday season, where many citizens are looking at joining volunteer organizations and donating their time to help others, Habersham County’s Meals on Wheels program could use that help.
“People like to give back to their community and feel that they help make a difference locally,” Lewis says. “As our population ages with boomers retiring we expect to see more need in the future.”
Anyone over 18 years old who wants to get involved with Meals on Wheels should contact the Habersham County Senior Center at (706) 839-0260 and ask to speak with the volunteer coordinator. Volunteers will be required to undergo a background check and fingerprinting, which costs $47.50— the fee is optional for volunteers to pay.
Volunteers will use their own vehicle and gasoline to complete deliveries and can partake in orientation and a practice run for their route.
“Without them [volunteers], there would be no Meals on Wheels program,” Lewis says. “They are vital to our service and we are grateful to those willing to serve.”
If you are 65 or older, live in Habersham County and are in need of assistance, you are eligible for Meals on Wheels.
