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Since the Cape Cod Times raised the alarm about a shortage of Meals-on-Wheels drivers on May 4th, 46 individuals have completed the application process and are either in training or already handling a route. Another 15 have completed the paperwork but not yet started training or driving and Sarah Franey reports that she continues to receive one or two calls every day from interested potential drivers.
“I was very impressed with the influx of interest in volunteering for our Meals-on-Wheels program, after the Cape Cod Times article came out," said Valerie Dubois, site coordinator at the Yarmouth Senior Center. "We, in Yarmouth, were especially lucky. I am so thankful for all that came forward, applied to become MOW drivers as this enabled me to open a much needed route. Our next goal is to work through our current wait list and get MOW service started for as many of those consumers as possible, hopefully within the next couple of weeks.”
For Liz Novak, volunteering just felt like the right thing to do. “I have been talking about doing Meals-on-Wheels for years. When I saw the article in the Cape Cod Times and saw a sign up at the Senior Center where I drop off my mother, I wanted to look into it more. One of the routes available was the day I drop my mother off so it felt like it was meant to be. The very first day of doing my route, I was already grateful that I had the courage to explore the opportunity. It’s such a meaningful way to give back to a community that has done so much for my mother.”
A Meals-on-Wheels route is typically 20 – 25 stops. This is manageable in terms of cooler size and time commitment. But when program enrollment rises, the routes grow longer and are not sustainable. Most drivers commit to volunteering once a week, so it takes at least 5 additional volunteers to open a new route. There are currently 7 routes operating out of Yarmouth and Dubois expects to add another soon.
At Elder Services, we expect demand for Meals-on-Wheels to increase at a rate of about 7% annually. At the same time, federal and state funding for this program will remain level at best. In fact, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released its budget recommendations for Meals-on-Wheels just this week, and they are recommending 78.7 million dollars less than was asked for in the President’s budget, less even than what was allocated for federal fiscal year 2023.
Speaking about the appropriations recommendations, Bob Blancato, ESCCI Board Member and Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, commented "This FY25 funding bill flies in the face of the realities on the ground related to aging services. To cut funding for nutrition as demand grows and impact of inflation continues highlights the disconnect." Federal funds account for about 33% of Elder Service’s Meals-on-Wheels budget.
Interested in volunteering? Apply here!
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