Visit our “Advocacy” page to follow state and federal legislative and budgetary issues which may need your advocacy through letters, phone calls, emails, or attendance at events.
Visit our “Find a Local Provider” page locate a provider near you if you are interested in providing direct meals services and offer your help today.
People 85+ represent the fastest growing segment of the Georgia population, and the number of seniors as a whole is projected to double over the next three to four decades. While our current corps of dedicated volunteers is struggling to keep pace with this rapid growth, it will take a huge increase in volunteers and resources to begin to meet the needs going forward.
If you can’t volunteer but would like to help, consider donating your local senior nutrition provider to help protect and provide the comfort, company and nutrition seniors need.
The most common volunteer job is delivering meals and friendly greetings to homebound seniors. Most typically, this involves picking up meals at a central location and delivering them along a pre-determined route directly to the homes of several seniors in your area. Once you’re done, you return the delivery packaging items and get back on your way.
We can set up a volunteer schedule that works with yours. Just mention your preferences when you connect with your local program.
Local programs typically aim to provide volunteer opportunities that fit within a lunch break of up to an hour and a half.
Yes. Most local Meals on Wheels programs have the need for volunteers to fill a number of roles that can be done outside of the lunch hour and at varying locations. Please check in with your local program to see what is available in your area.
Meal Delivery Volunteers deliver the meal and generally check in with the clients to make sure they are okay through a friendly greeting or brief conversation before continuing on their route. Other volunteer opportunities, such as Lunch Buddy might encourage meal-sharing.
Groups are usually very welcome. Please mention your interest in volunteering as a group when speaking to your local program.
The State of Georgia requires a background check and vetting process for volunteers for the safety of vulnerable seniors. You will be asked to undergo a background check process prior to volunteer service which places you in direct service to clients in their homes.
Providers contract with professional food service companies who deliver prepared meals to a central site for delivery, or food is prepared on-site by paid staff and/or volunteers who want to be involved. Meals are individually packaged to be handed off simply to clients.
In most locations volunteers who deliver meals will drive their own cars. Please ask your local Meals on Wheels program about transportation when you are setting up your volunteer assignments.
Volunteers usually sign up for a set schedule and delivery route, therefore allowing you to visit the same seniors on a regular basis. However, there is often a need to fill in open volunteer slots or to volunteer on different schedules which could result in serving different clients on different days.
That largely depends on the distance between deliveries. Volunteers in more rural settings typically see fewer clients in a single volunteer shift, while those in urban areas can visit quickly with multiple clients living in close proximity to each other.
Once you’re connected with your local Meals on Wheels program, you’ll be able to work directly with them to manage your volunteer schedule.
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