Meals on Wheels looking for more volunteer drivers to deliver hot food due to increasing needs
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Hot meals are on the move daily in Santa Barbara through the Meals on Wheels program, more than ever. This also means an additional need for drivers.
It's the 53rd year for the program.
It's a vital service for those residents who can't get out to go for groceries or who aren't getting a hot meal in their diet on a regular basis. Meals on Wheels President Sandy Nordahl says, "they might be seniors, they might be someone with a disability somebody who is recovering from an illness or surgery and our volunteers deliver this meal to their door. "
The demand is up to 360 clients this year and about 58,000 meals. The routes are being changed and more drivers will help to meet the needs.
The meals are prepared at the Valle Verde Senior Living Community in Santa Barbara and prepared by the kitchen chefs. They are balanced and nutritious. Each delivery includes a meal of soup, an entree, a starch, two vegetable sides, a salad or fresh fruit, dessert, and milk. They are organized on site for the drivers in a grab and go system.
Organizers said they have volunteer drivers who are able to do their route in about 60-90 minutes. They start at 10 a.m. They can deliver just one day or be a substitute. Some are on a regular schedule because of their interest and availability.
Nordahl said, "because we have grown so much in the last four years, by about 30-percent, our routes have been very long and it doesn't leave they with enough time to visit with their client." That's why more drivers can handle the load.
Part of the benefit, besides the hot meal, is a personal contact with some of the recipients. It can also be a way to report a need to a family member or care giver.
Meals on Wheels Volunteer Victoria Fernandez said, "it's a beautiful thing to be able to be a part of and to deliver really nutritious meals and facilitating them to age in place."
Younger volunteers are joining the ranks. Nordahl said, "there are a lot of working people now who are fitting this into their routine. I think what we love is the feeling to be able to help somebody who wants to continue to live in their own home and stay independent."
A lot of the family members are at in touch with Meals on Wheels to get an update on their loved one. "People are very spread out and children who live out of state, and we can act as the eyes and ears for them," said Nordahl.
Edwin Martin is a recipient who was in the sun having coffee when his food arrived. "I recognize her as a friendly face and I see her often," he said of Fernandez who made the delivery. "I have lived here by myself since my wife died several years ago and I realized the meals were available so I took advantage of it."
Meals on Wheels has been called a life saver with its quality meals, and a nourishment in other so many other ways that brightens up each day.
"That is the best thing in life. I think it is good also because if you are sick that is someone checking in," said Greta Howorth about her delivery and visit with a volunteer.
One in three California households are struggling to meet daily needs, according to a United Way study. The Meals on Wheels service is more affordable than in-home meal preparations.
For more information go to: Meals on Wheels
Three volunteers will be honored this week at a special Meals on Wheels dinner. The comments for each one have been provided here by Meals on Wheels.
Joyce Axilrod
I’d like to introduce you to a dedicated individual who is celebrating her 25th year as a volunteer driver.
Joyce Axilrod told us that her mother had received Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles years ago, so it didn’t take much convincing when her good friend Mary Orr (whom you’ll meet in a moment) encouraged her to become a volunteer in Santa Barbara. Joyce and Mary had met years before, in 1983, after Joyce moved here from Los Angeles to manage Avis Car Rental at the Santa Barbara Airport.
Joyce says she had a good feeling about Meals on Wheels. She had been a docent at the Santa Barbara Zoo and on the board of the Symphony but wanted to truly give something back to the community. As she puts it, “I’m not a person who sits around.”
Joyce shared a story about one of her most memorable clients – a man who had had a stroke and was added to her route. When she went into his home to deliver his meal, she immediately recognized a photo of my own dog, Barney, hanging on his wallIt had been years since Barney had died. It turns out that the client was her daughter, Susan’s first boyfriend! He had taken care of Joyce’s dog when he was dating her daughter and kept a picture of Barney all those years. This past Valentines Day, Joyce asked her husband, Dick, to come with her on her deliveries so that he could see Susan’s old friend, and they brought their dog, Maggie, along. As they were leaving, the client took down the photo of Barney and gave it to Joyce and Dick.
A number of years ago, Joyce wrote a book based on stories from my life after taking a writing class. She thought her family and friends would find it interesting, and one of the chapters is devoted to her experiences as a Meals on Wheels volunteer. She wrote, “Each Wednesday, I deliver meals to men and women who are unable to go out on their own. I’m privileged to spend time with them and listen to their wonderful stories. Mr. Alden enlightens me about his years in the service. Mrs. Pierce keeps me posted on her latest illness. Mrs. Richardson, a widow, speaks longingly of her husband, who was an avid sailor. I continue volunteering because I understand the wonderful opportunity I have to meet such delightful and grateful individuals.”
Joyce has taken her grandchildren along to help with deliveries when they come to visit. “When you see how other people are doing as they age and struggle, you feel blessed with what you have,” she says. “It makes me feel fortunate and thankful.”
And we are so fortunate and thankful to have a volunteer like Joyce. Congratulations on your 25 years with Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels!
Nancy Golden
Nancy Golden was first introduced to the concept of Meals on Wheels while living in London in the 1960s. It was there that she met a lovely, eccentric woman named Hester Mardsen-Smedley, who delivered meals in her red mini. Nancy says she never forgot Hester or the organization.
Thirty years later, after moving to Santa Barbara with her husband, she made a new friend in a yoga class at the Cabrillo Rec Center. Her friend Sheila just happened to be a driver for Meals on Wheels, and it seems the second time was a charm because Nancy jumped right in and began volunteering.
Part of her desire to help came from the experience her mother had after moving to Vermont. When her mother was widowed and could no longer drive, there seemed to be no other solution than to move into a senor living facility where meals were provided. She was never happy there, and Nancy says she later realized how important it is for seniors to be able to stay in their own homes as long as possible, with familiar comforts and routines.
“It’s been the most rewarding experience,” says Nancy, who’s met many memorable people in her years driving route 3. A favorite client was Barney, a former columnist for the Santa Barbara News Press. Having delivered as many as 28 meals on her busiest days, Nancy says the shortening of routes has been one of the best changes the organization has made. Instead of rushing to the next stop, she has time to visit and savor the social moments that her clients look forward to.
Nancy, congratulations on 30 years of service!
Mary Orr
Back in 1994, Mary Orr had been working in a management role at a local company that unexpectedly dissolved. Her first thought was “Now what am I going to do?” But in no time, she spotted an article about nonprofits looking for volunteers, and immediately signed up with Meals on Wheels.
Back then, she recalls, there were about 100 clients and eight routes. Over the years, she drove every route – except 5 – and she has no idea how she managed to miss it over 30 years! Mary has always kept busy, taking adult ed classes in English literature and personal growth, and traveling all over the world – even visiting Africa by herself. But the familiar roads of Santa Barbara and the faces of all the friends she made always welcomed her home.
She joined the board of Meals on Wheels in 2000 and recalls being one of the younger people serving. About a year later, she became president. It turned out well, she says, and after taking a short break from board duties, she served a second term as president.
Mary’s husband, Jack Orr, who died five years ago, was a volunteer driver, too. When her grandchildren visit, they come along to help. The clients like to meet the children and have lots of questions.
One of Mary’s favorite clients was a woman named Florence who was in her 80s. Florence liked to chat, so Mary would save her stop until last. Both women were originally from Ohio, but Florence had no family around her as Mary did. With a brother in Pennsylvania and a sister in Florida, Florence had no one to help her as she became older and weaker. Mary stepped in to help Florence manage things, and the two stayed on touch after she went into assisted living. When Florence passed away, Mary knew there would be no one to attend her burial service, so she contacted all the Meals on Wheels drivers who knew Florence. “We were all there,” Mary recalls.
And she is still there for her clients, 30 years and counting. Congratulations, Mary!
