This year marks 45 years since the inception of Huntsville’s Meals on Wheels program.
Diane Litchfield, who is chair of the local Meals on Wheels committee, has been with the organization over 41 years. Her mother helped launch Meals on Wheels, a not-for-profit program that delivers hot meals to seniors Monday through Friday, in Huntsville and Litchfield has followed in her footsteps ever since.
Each meal—which includes a soup or salad, entrée, muffin or roll, and a dessert—is prepared fresh at the hospital. Meals on Wheels volunteers pick them up just before noon each day and deliver them to each home.
“Some of our clients may not eat the whole meal, so they can pick and choose parts of the lunch to spread out and then have some for dinner later on,” said Litchfield. On Fridays, clients can also order extra meals that they can eat throughout the weekend.
But the program means more for its clients than just a meal delivery service.
“We want to create a personal contact with each client, even just a friendly hello or asking how their day is goes a long way,” said Litchfield. She believes that the program is crucial for seniors who are living on their own.
“Our clients are given peace of mind every day knowing that we will be there to check in on them,” said Litchfield. “Sometimes we’ll go in if someone has broken a leg or hip and it helps them get out of the hospital sooner and into their own homes. It’s important to help them maintain their independence.”
Before setting up a meal schedule, each client is interviewed in order to assess things like what the home situation is like, what their likes and dislikes are, and which door volunteers are to enter the house through.
While the program is partly funded by a government grant, it doesn’t cover the full cost of running Meals on Wheels but costs to clients are kept as low as possible. Each meal costs clients six dollars.
A group of dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver to about 25 clients weekly, with each volunteer delivering meals about twice per month between 12-1:30 p.m. Mileage is reimbursed. New volunteers are always welcome.
For information on volunteering, call 705-635-3216. If you would like to arrange to have meals delivered, call 705-789-4922.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.
0 Comments