-
Hundreds of meals stay warm or cold, ready to be delivered to Osceola Meals on Wheels clients last week. The Osceola Council on Aging is always looking for volunteers to help batch or deliver meals. PHOTO/THOMAS OUELLETTE
Wednesday, March 20 marked the return of the Osceola County Council on Aging’s annual Community Champion event.
The recurring event aims at educating influential members of the community, such as elected officials and legislators, about the Meals on Wheels senior food delivery service.
Additionally this year, Osceola County joins the nationwide program #SaveLunch, a campaign designed around rallying the community to support essential services that allow seniors to remain healthy at home. During this event, community champions will get a chance to see the impact of Meals on Wheels by sitting in on a delivery route themselves. Council on Aging Dietary Director Cathy Arft said she believes there is no better way to show people the importance of the program.
“We’re having them come meet up with some of our regular volunteers to take them on the meal route so they can be out in the community to see the people who are voting for them,” she said. “It’s important for them to see the people who built our country and need some assistance right now.”
Deliveries typically have four to five stops, and each one has the driver hand-deliver the food to the client, allowing for both parties to engage in conversation—the only contact the client may have with another person all day—and build a relationship.
Joann Henry has been delivering food to Helen Beatty for over three years, and seeing Joann’s car pull into the driveway has become more than just lunchtime to her.
“What means a lot is that they have people like her who take time out of their life just to help me,” Beatty said.
Official numbers from the Council report that nearly 200,000 meals were distributed in 2023 alone, and that those numbers are projected to increase.
Volunteers are always a welcome addition to Meals on Wheels, but this week the Sheriff’s department went the extra mile and donated a brand new service vehicle for the council to use on delivery routes.
If you are interested in volunteering for Meals on Wheels, call 407-846-8532, ext 1202.
