Meals on Wheels of Plant City delivered its first meal to a homebound resident on January 1, 1990. Today 65 volunteers deliver one hot meal each day to 43 recipients on six routes. The area they serve is bounded on the north by Knight’s Griffin Road; Route 60 on the south; Branch Forbes Road to the west; and County Line Road to the east. Delivery drivers normally volunteer one day per week, and the routes take an average of one hour to complete. The recipients are either elderly or disabled people who aren’t able to shop for themselves, and have no one to bring them food.
Meals on Wheels buys the meals from the deli at Winn-Dixie. The menu varies each day. A Winn-Dixie employee comes in at 5:00 a.m. to put together options like chicken, beef stew, or ham. Each meal comes with two sides, a roll, and something to drink. Drivers arrive at Winn-Dixie by 9:30 a.m. to pick up what they need for their routes, and pack them in insulated containers to keep them warm. There is quite a bit of the camaraderie of shared experience among the drivers because they get to know one another while they are picking up at the grocery store.
In addition to providing food for those who need it, one of the great things about Meals on Wheels is the drivers take the same routes weekly, so “They get to talk to the recipients, and get to know them,” Sharon McKendrick said. “A lot of the recipients look forward to the drivers coming by because they may be the only person they see during the day.” The drivers can become like friends to the homebound person, and will sometimes also help with small tasks like making coffee or taking out the trash.
A second great thing is, Meals on Wheels provides daily wellness checks for the recipients. Each residence has a cooler with an ice pack outside, in case the resident is unable to come to the door at the time of delivery. If there is no ice pack, the driver will persist in making contact to ensure the recipient is okay. If they don’t get any answer, Meals on Wheels will phone emergency contacts to come to the residence.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Give $
Meals on Wheels of Plant City is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so financial gifts are tax-deductible. Delivery is free, but the meals cost $6.75. The organization requests recipients pay $3.75 per meal. Some can afford to pay that, but most can’t. So, Meals on Wheels of Plant City can always use financial gifts to make up the difference. Checks can be made out to “Meals on Wheels of Plant City” and mailed to the address below.
Volunteers
Another way to help is to volunteer. Meals on Wheels needs more volunteers. There are three ways to give your time:
1. Volunteer as a delivery driver. These positions are once per week to pick up food from Winn-Dixie and deliver to the people on one of the routes. Again, the delivery routes take, on average, an hour.
2. Sign on as a substitute delivery driver. These positions are called on an as-needed basis to fill in for a regular driver who is sick, or otherwise unable to deliver on a given day.
3. Volunteer to work in the office. These roles handle phones calls and messages, organize routes for the day, make calls to find substitute drivers, and handle paperwork and mail. To volunteer, call the Meals on Wheels office. They will send out a packet to obtain applicant information, like which volunteer role someone is interested in and what days they prefer.
“Volunteering is really uplifting—going to elderly and disabled people and talking to them,” McKendrick said. “Every little bit helps these people.”
To give, volunteer, or for more information, Meals on Wheels of Plant City contact information is below.
(813) 754-9932
1304 E. Baker St. Suite C
Plant City, FL 33563
Office hours are M-F; 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
