Meals on Wheels is in desperate need of volunteer drivers to deliver food and smiles to local residents on Fridays. 

“This is sometimes the only balanced, nutritious meal these people receive in a day’s time,” said Linn Hogg, director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program which oversees MOW. “Sometimes, it’s the only human contact they have through the day.

Hogg said the route is only on Fridays and takes about one hour to complete. Drivers pick up the meals between 11 a.m. and noon at the Great Bend Senior Center and there are nine stops.

One business could rotate people through the month so a person would only run the route maybe once a month, she said.

Right now, there is only one route open, but Hogg said RSVP can always use substitutes for other routes. Also, MOW is growing to the point where another route may have to be added.

“It is pretty amazing the impact a volunteer has on a person’s life,” Hogg said. “In just one hour, they have impacted up to nine people’s lives by making them feel important and not forgotten.”

So it really is more than just a meal. It sometimes it is a lifeline to the human world.

“What a great way to start the second half of your day,” she said. “Many of our volunteers have become very attached to the people they deliver to.”

Hogg said Meals On Wheels currently serves 96 clients. 

On average, around 1,425 meals go to individuals who otherwise might not eat, or at least eat  healthfully.

It also means that 1,425 times throughout the month, Meals On Wheels recipients have someone checking on them to make sure they are doing OK, she said. 

“It might just me a smile, or a hug, or ‘how are you doing today.’ But it means all the difference in the world to someone that is homebound.” 

Partners that currently help out include: Great Bend High School, CUNA; Pathways Res Care; Sunflower Diversified Services; Eldercare; Landmark National Bank; Farmers Bank and Trust; Hiss and Sherman Financial; and Adams, Brown, Beran and Ball.

For more information, contact Hogg at Volunteers In Action/RSVP, 1025 Main, Room D-114, in Great Bend or call 620-792-1614.