Meals On Wheels of White Plains is Looking for a Few Good Men and Women
The openings are for volunteer drivers and deliverers to be available as alternates one or two days a week. The benefits are a tremendous sense of satisfaction and a new set of wonderful friends, according to the Meals on Wheels of White Plains volunteers we met with last week.
Since 1979, the organization has been serving freshly cooked and prepared meals to about 70 homebound clients in White Plains each week on six routes, Monday through Friday. There is one route in operation on Saturdays.
That’s a lot of meals delivered to people free-of-charge who otherwise might go hungry because they cannot get out of the house. “For some the daily food delivery is the only source of social interaction they will have that day,” said Susanna Sussman, Meals on Wheels Executive Director. “Most of our clients live alone. We currently have one couple as clients. No one with need is turned away.”
Each meal is specially prepared and carefully marked for each client’s specific dietary needs. There is a hot meal with an entrée and two sides, a slice of bread with butter or another spread, milk, juice, fruit cup, a sandwich and side salad. There is a six-week rotation of meals, according to Sussman. The menus are prepared by a dietician.
The food is prepared every day by Horizon Food Service Corp. under the direction of Lou Riso who brings both the hot and cold dishes to a staging area at White Plains High School. Riso has been working with the organization for over 10 years.
Each of the six routes has a dedicated team – the volunteers work in pairs – usually one driving and the other making the deliveries to 10 to 14 different addresses. The volunteer teams work one day per week and the routes take from 11:15 a.m. to about 12:45 p.m. to complete, from food pickup at the White Plains High School staging area to drop off of empty containers.
Many of the volunteers began as alternates, some being introduced to Meals on Wheels because their parents or another family member had been a client.
Volunteers Al Dold and Mary Broderick-Ryan have been working as delivery partners for many years. Dold drives and Broderick-Ryan delivers. “I am anxious to see my clients every week,” Broderick-Ryan said. “You get into a pattern on the deliveries, knowing who takes more time to come to the door, who hits the buzzer lightly so you have to act fast to get in to an apartment building. Each client is different.”
Dold began volunteering about 10 years ago and says he plans to continue for as long as he can. Over that period of time you get to know your way around White Plains, he explained.
Anyone interested in joining the volunteer team should contact Sussman at 914-946-6878 to schedule an informal interview. To find out more about Meals on Wheels of Westchester visit mowwp.org.
